Valencia fans have once again been left questioning where exactly their club is going after a limp defeat to Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, exiting the competition 3-1.
Los Che did not achieve a single shot in the first half, only managing to get on the scoresheet via an Oscar de Marcos own goal. Iker Muniain had given Athletic the lead, Nico Williams returned that lead on the stroke of half-time and Mikel Vesga’s penalty midway through the second period sealed the match. It was revenge for last season’s semi-final, when Valencia knocked out Los Leones.
However Valencia fans were more concerned on a macro level, with hundreds gathering outside Mestalla to protest against owner Peter Lim and Meriton Holdings spontaneously.
Uns 200 aficionats canten contra Meriton a les portes de l’estadi. pic.twitter.com/499XxXGlDZ
— Norantaminuts (@90minuts) January 26, 2023
‘This is s***’ sang the infuriated masses outside of the ground after the match.
⚽ Hay unos poquitos en las puertas de Mestalla ahora mismo que no se resignan a "lo que hay" y no pierden la esperanza de volver a ver, algún día, un Valencia CF digno de su historia.pic.twitter.com/0jOKrPJHI9
— Paco Polit ⚓️ (@pacopolit) January 26, 2023
‘Valencia are us’ and ‘We’ve had it up to our balls’ were other songs that filled the streets outside.
POR TU ESCUDO 🦇 https://t.co/41ejmf7W2O pic.twitter.com/aMaT9psKE3
— Lidia 💗 (@lidii_vcf02) January 26, 2023
Things also threatened to turn nasty, as some fans waited for the players outside the ground. Here USMNT star Yunus Musah can been seen exiting the stadium, pursued by people in the street who were hitting his car.
A esta hora abandonan los futbolistas del Valencia CF el estadio de Mestalla.
🛑Hasta este momento, la salida estaba bloqueada por algunos aficionados.
Eray Cömert se paró a atender a los aficionados.
😓 Yunus Musah fue despedido de esta manera. @relevo pic.twitter.com/g7GpvYTjpY
— Nacho Sanchis (@sanchis14) January 26, 2023
Once again the toxic atmosphere around the club is on the rise. Protest group Libertad VCF [Freedom VCF] released a statement saying they would be protesting at their next home game, something for the whole world to see, saying that ‘We are not going to let Peter Lim assassinate Valencia‘.
🚨🚨COMUNICADO OFICIAL🚨🚨
HA LLEGADO EL MOMENTO
Libertad VCF quiere comunicar a todos los valencianistas que ha llegado el momento de volver a demostrar que la afición no va a dejar que Peter Lim asesine al @valenciacf pic.twitter.com/SpeYxev37o— Libertad VCF (@LibertadVCF) January 26, 2023
Peter Lim, an associate of Gary Neville, took over the club in 2014, but has since seen Los Che descend into a midtable side from Champions League regulars. The new Mestalla stadium also remains half built, while fans have frequently been disenfranchised from the club too.
