This week a friend of mine, Gus who is a Subbuteo nut sent me the picture above. It’s the Real Mallorca Subbuteo team from 1998/99 season which was when they made it to the final of the Cup Winners Cup at Villa Park losing 2-1 to Lazio. Kids if you don’t have a clue about Subbuteo ask your Dad. Basically it was our equivalent of FIFA on the Play Station.
Real Mallorca are in their second week of pre-season and the club are busy trying to offload fringe players from the squad. Out of the door so far are Josep Sene, Marc Pedraza and Pierre Cornud. Also departing is former Sporting Director Javier Recio which wasn’t a surprise as he was moved sideways following the arrival of Pablo Ortells from Villareal. Recio has since become Sporting Director at Club Bolivar in Bolivia. Goalkeeper Manolo Reina has signed a new contract until the end of 2022. There’s still speculation surrounding the 3 players I said before might move, Budimir, Baba and Valjent. But as yet nobody has come in with a bid. Budimir who scored 13 goals in La Liga last year is apparently attracting interest from Valladolid, Osasuna, Granada and Celta Vigo but none of them have bid the 15 million euros release clause. Mallorca also have forward Stoichkov back from his loan last year in La Liga 2 where he scored 16 goals for Alcorcon and finished fourth top goalscorer. Stoichkov is the Mallorca player that tested positive for coronavirus and he isolating at home. He is asymptomatic and looking to return to pre-season soon.
Mallorca will go to Murcia for a week on August the 25th, where they will play Levante UD and two other games yet to be decided.
The Club have passed 7,000 people who have renewed their season tickets. Remembering there were over 16,000 last year I hope as many as possible renew and didn’t just get one last season because they were in the top division. Season ticket holders have until August 24th to renew, between the 26th and 28th they have a chance to move to seats that haven’t been renewed. All new applications are available from September the 1st. The season starts on the 12th.
Atlético Baleares have brought in their sixth new signing in attacking midfielder Armando Shashoua. He was on loan from Spurs for the second half of last season and has signed a permanent two year deal. He joins Iñaki Olaortua, Luca Ferrone, Pedro Orfila, Jon Aurtenetxe and José Peris as new coach Jordi Roger builds his squad.
Ud Poblense have kept faith with their coach Oscar Troya who got them promoted from the tercera division after being undefeated in the league and beating Mallorca B in the play-offs. It will be tough for them but it’s great to see another Balearic team in Segunda B.
Penya Deportiva the team who performed the better than their bigger rivals Atlético Baleares and UD Ibiza in the Segunda B play-offs have reappointed their manager Raúl Casan after he left the club at the end of the season. Casan resigned after it looked like he had agreed to join Atletico Baleares but the Mallorcan club decided at the last minute to appoint Jordi Roger. Money is tight at the club and they’ve lost they’re two best players Pepe Bernal and Higor Rocha.
The Government have said that to keep the rate of infection down, teams in local football can only do non contact training for the next two weeks. The Federacio de Futbol de les Illes Balears (FFIB) have said that local football will start their matches on the following dates;
Tercera División Balear – October 3rd
Juvenil División Honor – TBC
Juvenil Nacional – October 3rd
Juvenil Preferente – October 3rd
Juvenil Regional – October 3rd
Cadetes – October 10th
Infantiles – October 17th
Alevines – October 24th
Benjamines – October 31st
Pre-Benjamines – October 31st
Episode 4 of A Kick in The Balearics will be out tomorrow on you tube and on podcast on Thursday. If you have any interesting stories on your local Balearic club then please get in touch and follow us on all social media.
Take care everyone, I’m back at the Weekend.
Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online atwww.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!
Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com
Dad Taxi Mallorca 