Debts and bad management buried Alicante CF six years ago. The dean club of the city disappeared almost without making a sound, with no one to remedy it. Behind he left five participations in Second Division, the ceiling of the celestial entity in its 97 years of history. The last time it touched the sky was in 2008, when it was promoted to silver. From that moment on, he was losing categories and prestige until he buried his bones.
However, Alicante rose from its ashes to be reborn. It did so in 2014, but under another name: CFI Alicante. The idea was to keep the essence of the disappeared club, with an almost identical shield, the same colors and the use of Antonio Solana, its stadium. The club started from scratch, but this summer the problems returned. The Intercity had to come to the rescue to pay off your debts and clean it up. Since then, seriousness has returned to CFI Alicante.
Seven years after its founding, the celestial club will play this wednesday the most important match of its new history. Receive Real Betis in the Cup, in a duel that has put Alicante back on the national scene. But this club is another, a modest entity that has a budget of 150,000 euros and is a member of the Preferred Regional.
In Alicante there is no one who can live exclusively from football. Most are workers and students. Among the trades, there are several that attract attention. David Vendrell works at a street stall at a flea market. On Tuesdays he is in Albacete, on Wednesdays in Yecla and on Thursdays and Saturdays he sets up the toy stall in Alicante. And on Sundays, he plays soccer. “Almost none of us can live off football here. I work in a family mobile stall and I am happy. But the Betis game is the game of our lives “, states AS Vendrell.
“I would love to tattoo Joaquin. If we pass, I promise I will get a tattoo of the feat”
Juanma Ruano
In the Alicante dressing room there is also a tattoo artist trying to make a name for himself. Juanma Ruano feels passion for ink and he has set up a small studio where he is doing his first steps. “I would love to tattoo Joaquín something of the ‘Island of temptations’, jokes Ruano, who promises AS that something commemorative will be tattooed in case Alicante gives the bell.
“I promise that if we win, I’ll get a tattoo of the Cup. I already had in mind to immortalize the tournament with this date of the match against Betis and the other tie that I was able to play two years ago with Intercity, against Athletic, “says Ruano. The winger hopes to work the miracle.” It is clear that it is very difficult to give the bell, but you always have that little bug there because every year we see that there are surprises in this tournament. I think that Betis can have a bad time, “says Ruano.
In Alicante there is also a fruit delivery man, a waiter, a messenger and several employees who are dedicated to the footwear and textile sector, among other trades. This is the other football, the one that is far from millionaire salaries but that the Cup matches for one day.
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