After a week when a suspect vehicle in Birmingham can be classed as any car that’s been parked for more than an hour – and not be stripped of parts! – Real Mallorca’s participation in the Spanish Super Cup to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between January 8 and 12 next year, is turning their La Liga calendar into the realms of farce. Because of the Spanish Super Cup, our home game against league leaders Barcelona, which had been due to take place on January 11, is now to be played on Tuesday, December 3 at 7pm in Son Moix. That’s followed three days later by a trip up north to Galicia to face Celta Vigo. That means coach Arrasate has but 48 hours to prepare his side after the Barça game.
There’s no doubt Real Mallorca have once again become the whipping boys when it comes to mistreatment by the league bosses in Madrid. A game on a Tuesday night is bad enough, but a 7 o’clock start is outrageous. A lot of fans will still be at work then. Many Mallorquinistas have been expressing their dismay on social media about the rescheduling situation.
Incidentally, I spoke to a Spanair pilot back in the day who, when asked the most difficult Spanish airport to touch down in, replied “Vigo – for sure!” In the meantime, this weekend sees another (and last) international break for this year and Real Mallorca will lose seven players to their respective countries: Navarro (Spain’s Under 21s), Mascarell (Equatorial Guinea), Dominik Greif (Slovakia), Muriqi (Kosovo), Mojica (Colombia), Larin (Canada) and Costa (Portugal). Our next game will be away at much-improved Las Palmas next Saturday (23rd) at 6.30pm. The following Friday (29th) we’re at home to troubled Valencia, kick off at 9pm.
Last week I touched on the fact that we’re in a mini crisis when it comes to goal scoring and it’s now 300 minutes since we’ve bulged the net. One win in five is slightly worrying as we’ve slipped down the table to ninth place.
However, all things considered, with 18 points on the board so far in the first half of the campaign, a large part of our real objective of staying up is on track. Much of football is decided in a matter of seconds. Both players and referees are forced to decide in a very short time on issues such as a running tackle or a second yellow card.
Last Sunday’s agonising 0-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid was so disappointing, we deserved more.
The result hinged on two incidents. The first was the rugby tackle by the Atleti centre back Lenglet on Cyle Larin. I’ve rewatched the so-called tackle many times on TV and it was unbelievable to see a yellow card wasn’t brandished. Because Lenglet was booked in the first half, the referee turned a blind eye to the foul and forgave Lenglet. Atletico should have been left with ten players which would have given Mallorca a huge advantage. Oblak in the visitors’ goal was outstanding. He laid on the winning goal with a long punt upfield.
Mallorca were up the other end chasing the game and Pablo Maffeo missed his tackle, allowing the visitors to score into an empty net.
The player with the most recognisable moustache in Spanish football, Abdon Prats, signed a three-year extension to his contract on Tuesday. The deal should see the Arta striker finish his career at his boyhood club. Over the years he’s scored some seriously important goals and last Sunday was inches away from grabbing an equaliser – which Oblak saved with his face!
The Bulletin’s sister publication, Ultima Hora, announced on Tuesday that after 13 years of absence, local free-to-air TV channel IB3 will show some of Real Mallorca’s games live this season, after they reached an agreement with the Mediapro Group. It’s not been confirmed exactly which games will be shown, but the first broadcast will take place on Saturday 23rd from Las Palmas at 6.30pm.
And finally
A guy goes into his local bank and says to the manager “I’d like to borrow £100,000 to open a cheese factory in Cheshire and I’m going to call it Cheshire Cheese.” The bank manager tells him that’s not possible as there’s already a product called by that name. The next week the man’s back again.
“I’d like to borrow £200,000 to open a cheese factory in France and I’m calling it Brie Cheese.” Again he’s told there’s already one called that. The manager tells him “Brie cheese is world famous so I can’t lend you the money for that.” Not to be outdone, the guy’s back again another week later. “Right,” he says, “I’ve got it. I want to borrow £500,000 to open a cheese factory in Israel.” “Now you’re talking,” says the bank manager. “What do you intend calling it this time?” The guy smiles proudly and says “Cheeses of Nazareth!”
