Official website : Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié is a Spanish football club in Seville founded in 1907. The team currently plays in La Liga. Its home stadium is the 52,700-seat Manuel Ruiz de Lopera and its home colours are green and white. Real Betis celebrated their centenary year this past year 2007–08 La Liga season.
Real Betis were noted as the 32nd best followed team in Europe as regard average attendances during the 2006–07 season.
History
Real Betis holds the distinction of being the first Andalusian football team to play in the La Liga and to reach the UEFA Champions League although city rivals Sevilla already played this competition but with a different format, known as European Cup, in the 1957-58 season. Betis are also the only Spanish club to have won the 1st, 2nd and 3rd division leagues. Supporters of Real Betis are known as béticos. The club came close to folding in the summer of 1992 when they were saved by then vice-chairman Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, who later became chairman and is the current owner of the club.
[edit] Early years
Seville was the venue for the first official football game played in Spain. On 8 March 1890 at the Tablada Hippodrome a team from the Seville Water Works defeated the Huelva Recreation Club 2-0. With the exception of two Spanish players on the Huelva team, the players on both teams were British. Despite this historic event, it was not until 1905 that Sevilla FC was formed. The name is derived from Baetis, the Roman name for Guadalquivir river. Betis initially attracted support from the working classes although a large number of aristocracts including the King of Spain also supported the team. The foundation date is disputed. The 1907 foundation date comes from Sevilla Balompie, a club founded by students from the Escuela Politécnica on Calle Cervantes. This club merged with Betis FC in late 1914.
[edit] Name and colours
Balompie is the literal Spanish word for football as opposed to the anglicized version, futbol. Betis is one of only a handful of Spanish clubs that use this version in their name. As with other Spanish clubs Real was added after receiving patronage from the King of Spain Don Alfonso XIII in 1914. In 1912, Manuel Ramos Asensio, one of the club's founding members, returned from a business trip to Glasgow with a set of green and black striped shirts, donated by Celtic F.C, and proposed Betis take up the colours. The green and black strip was subsequently deemed unlucky after a losing streak and was replaced by a green and white version - the Andalucian national colours. During the Second Spanish Republic the club was once again called Betis Balompie, reverting to its current name after the Spanish Civil War.
[edit] Domestic success
Betis have won the La Liga once - in 1935 under the guidance of Patrick O'Connell - and won their first Copa del Rey in 1977. They made it to the final in 1997 but lost to FC Barcelona. Betis made it to the final again on 11 June 2005 against CA Osasuna at the Vicente Calderón Stadium and won their second Copa del Rey 2-1.
[edit] Centenary celebrations
Betis celebrated their centenary year in 2007, during the 2006–07 and 2007–08 league campaigns. In celebration of their centenary year they played A.C. Milan on 9 August 2007. Betis won the game 1-0 when new signing Mark González scored from the penalty spot early into the second half. On 15 August Betis competed in the Estadio Ramón de Carranza Trophy, playing against Real Madrid in the semi-final, winning the game 1-0 with an injury time free-kick scored by Juan Pablo Caffa. The following day, Betis contested in the final of the Estadio Ramón de Carranza Trophy against Real Zaragoza. The match ended 1-1, with a goal from David Rivas for Betis, before winning the game 4-3 on penalties, with Antonio Doblas decisively saving a Ricardo Oliveira penalty. The summer brought with it a complete change to the Betis squad, with eight arrivals that included Mark González, Ricardo, and Mariano Pavone, and fourteen sales.
[edit] Stadium information
Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera is a football stadium in Seville, Spain. The stadium is the home ground of Real Betis. It was previously called Estadio Benito Villamarín before the new owner of the club, Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, decided to build a new stadium over the old one.
See main article: Manuel Ruiz de Lopera
[edit] Club honours
* La Liga:
o 1 – 1935
* Copa del Rey:
o 2 – 1977, 2005
* Ramón de Carranza Trophy:
o 5 – 1964, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2007
[edit] Competition participation
[edit] Domestic
* Primera Division 44:
* Segunda División 25:
* Tercera División 7:
[edit] European
* UEFA Cup 6: (record)
o 2005-2006, 2002-2003, 1998-1999, 1995-1996, 1984-1985, 1982-1983
* UEFA Champions League1: (record)
o 2005-2006.
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