sport
There is an increasing number of non-Spanish Malaga Football Club fans. Here, the Liaison Officer of the Foreign Supporters’ Association speaks to SUR in English
27.09.11 - 16:37 -
Foreign fans attend every home match at La Rosaleda stadium. M.C
Since being bought by its current president, the Qatari businessman Sheikh Al-Thani, Malaga Football Club is becoming increasingly international, both on and off the pitch, as it sets its sights on becoming part of the Champions League.
But the Club has long had support from many foreigners who reside on the Costa del Sol. Mercy Chapman, the English language announcer at the home matches and the Liaison Officer of Malaga’s official Foreign Supporters’ Association, or ‘Peña Internacional Malaguista (PIM),’ explains how the ‘Guiri Army’ came about: “It began when a few core members decided they wanted to make their support official. Why the association was made official, was that the group wanted to be part of the Malaga football scene, known as the ‘malaguistas’.
“It wasn’t easy as the ‘Peña Internacional’ had to be registered and this was signed on 12th March 2002, and then an application to be registered with the Federación de Peñas Malaguistas was made.”
With Malaga Football Club expected to have its most successful season in recent times, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that PIM membership is rising.
“Requests to join come in all the time. Interest is generated from our web site, www.malagafans.com, and so far this year we have had around 30,000 hits from countries, not only in Europe but also from places like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia, amongst many others,” says Mercy.
Members of the PIM are able to benefit from coaches that take them, and for an extra charge non-members west of Malaga, to and from home games. Also the headquarters, ‘The Tavern’, welcomes members and guests to watch Malaga’s away games; and as part of the Federación of Peñas Malaguistas, members can join any away trips that have been arranged.
Reaction and support
How do the Spanish supporters react? “We get on very well. There is camaraderie. English has even been incorporated within the Spanish football chants!” enthuses Mercy. “At the beginning they did find it unusual and thought it was just a ‘flash in the pan’. But now they see that we are a fixture and have made us feel very much a part of being ‘malaguista’.”
She adds that there is backing for the foreign supporters behind the scenes too: “The very fact that Malaga CF has recruited me to be ‘the speaker’ at the matches, and the fact that the official web site is now translated into English, shows that the Club has been very supportive. It has taken time but I feel that with Sheikh Abdullah Ben Nasser Al Thani, Mr. Ghubn (vice-president) and the rest of the management team, we will have more support to improve what we can offer to our members.”
The PIM’s Liaison Officer says expectation is soaring: “The city and province of Malaga deserve a successful football team. Now that it is happening, I have to pinch myself in case it’s just a dream!”
