Oviedo's derby of death

By Andy Hall

The Asturian capital Oviedo may be lacking the kind of fierce local footballing rivalries that mark out life in Madrid, Seville and Barcelona, but they are certainly working on it.

Into freefall
When Radomir Antic's Real Oviedo drew 1-1 against Real Madrid CF on 10 June 2001, the club opened one of the blackest chapters in its history. Condemned to relegation from the Primera División the club, founded in 1926, lost the financial lifeline of negotiating television rights to top-flight games and went into freefall both on and off the pitch.

Threadbare squad
Their first season in the Segunda División started well enough, with Oviedo lying in sixth place after eleven games, but things soon went awry as form dipped alarmingly under coach Enrique Marigil. Robbed of his best players by the club's need to balance the books, Marigil's collection of veterans and inexperienced youth team players barely hung on in the Segunda, finishing just above the relegation zone in 18th position.

Mounting debts
As if that were not bad enough, there were also debts. Unpaid tax bills and other debts meant that Oviedo were in the red to the tune of €36m and barely able to pay staff and players - a situation that would prove injurious in the 2002/03 season.

Enforced relegation
While performances improved on the pitch with Oviedo finishing seventh in the Segunda, the club was penalised for its financial standing and forced to drop two divisions to the Tercera División. And it was there that things became even more complicated.

Council plan
Resigned to the fact that the city's only major football club were facing financial apocalypse and adamant that Oviedo should not be left without a football team, the mayor, Gabino de Lorenzo, approved plans for the council to set up a new club.

Wounding blow
Founded on regular cash injections of €90,000 from the local council, Astur Oviedo - now renamed Oviedo Astur CF - were founded in October 2003, twisting the knife into the side of the already wounded Real Oviedo.

Switching sides
Real Oviedo fans were further enraged when Astur signed former Real Oviedo hero Alberto Martínez Díaz. With 508 appearances over almost 14 years for Real Oviedo, 'Berto' was an icon at the old Carlos Tartiere stadium, and his defection to Astur seemed like a betrayal.

Intensified rivalry
That the two Oviedo sides started this season in the same league, group two of the Tercera División, only intensified the rivalry - but if Real Oviedo were smarting at the injustice of their situation, they certainly put their anger to good use.

Unbeaten run
Despite being docked six points at the start of the season by FIFA for their inability to pay wages, Oviedo are unbeaten all season and currently topping the division. Astur, meanwhile, are third, five points behind their local rivals.

First derby
On 11 January 2004, the two teams met for the first time - 16,573 spectators turning up, many simply to support the cash-strapped locals. The match did not disappoint in terms of drama and the points were shared in a 2-2 draw.

Healthy competition
Both teams could yet win a place in Segunda B following the summer play-offs, and supporters in Oviedo are hoping that the two teams' continued enmity could yet propel them even further up the Spanish league pyramid. Real Oviedo are still staving off receivership but some have suggested that the mere existence of Astur has given them renewed reason to survive.