Big occasions tend to show the strength of the penyes movement, and the Copa del Rey final in Seville was no exception. Thousands and thousands of supporters from all over the peninsula, and from all over the world, travelled to the Andalusian capital to support the team in a match as decisive as this one. They all burst into euphoria with Jules Koundé’s goal in extra time that sealed the 32nd Copa del Rey title for the blaugrana team.
Thanks to the geographical proximity, the Federación de Peñas de Andalucía, Ceuta y Melilla was one of the most numerous, with more than 1,500 supporters travelling from their different provinces and hundreds of penyes represented. The Federación de Peñas Extremeñas also stood out with nearly 700 supporters travelling to Seville. In addition, penyes from all the other regional federations travelled to the Andalusian capital to support the team, even from far away international origins.
Unconditional support until the trophy is lifted
The penyes were already making their presence felt the day before the match, and especially in the hours leading up to it, when they filled the streets of Seville with blaugrana colours and chants of encouragement for the team. In the early afternoon, a pre-match meeting was held in the Plaza Nueva in Seville, which was attended by many people, and which proved to be an omen for the outcome of the match. At the Estadio de la Cartuja, the penya members and all the fans once again showed that they are unrivalled in their support, and they accompanied the team in an epic match against their eternal rivals.
Once again, the presence of supporters’ clubs all over the world meant that the euphoria for this new title spread to all corners of the globe. Despite the time differences, which caused the match to be screened in the early hours of the morning in some Asian countries, supporters gathered to watch the match together and proudly celebrated the victory in their respective cities.
Once this new Copa del Rey has been celebrated, the penyes already have (for the moment) two more dates on the calendar: Tuesday 6 May in Milan, for the second leg of the men’s Champions League semi-finals, and Saturday 24 May in Lisbon, for a new finale of the women’s Champions League.
