An unforgettable day of blaugrana passion was spent in San Miguel de Salinas last Saturday, with around 250 supporters who gathered to celebrate the IX Meeting of Penyes of Alicante. The event, organised by the Federació de Penyes d’Alacant, with the support of the World Confederation of Supporters’ Clubs, also commemorated the 25th anniversary of the local Penya Barcelonista de San Miguel de Salinas. The presence of the president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, who made a forceful defense of the Club in the face of the attacks over the ‘Negreira Case’, gave an extra boost to the Meeting, which was a great success.
Alonso Cutillas, president of the Penya de San Miguel de Salinas, expressed his satisfaction at the great party in his speech during the gala lunch, and recalled the founding of the penya a quarter of a century ago. Cutillas hosted the Meeting, which began with the arrival of supporters from Alicante at the penya’s headquarters and a parade to the Town Hall, with local folklore performances.
The blaugrana expedition was welcomed by the town’s mayor, Juan de Dios Fresneda. Along with Laporta, there was also the board member Josep Ignasi Macià and the former players Julio Alberto and Ricardo Serna. Representing the Generalitat Valenciana was the Conseller de Turisme, Francesc Colomer, who declared himself to be “blaugrana to the core” and spoke of his experiences in his speech at the Town Hall.
Great turnout
As well as the numerous supporters from Alicante, the IX Meeting of Penyes of Alicante was attended by the presidents of the Federations of Madrid, Esteban García, and Castilla-La Mancha, Daniel Peinado, as well as of course Paco Baile, president of the Federació de Penyes d’Alacant. Baile celebrated the success of the event and was especially grateful for the work of councillor Nerea Murcia in the organisation. He also thanked President Laporta for his presence and gave a message of unity to the supporters’ clubs movement in his speech.
In total, 41 supporters’ clubs were represented. Of course, the ones from Alicante had a very important weight, but there were also others from Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia, Valencia, Madrid, and Galicia.
