The desert sun has already set. Traffic begins to hum on the endless Saudi highways, and the laughter of already a group of friends stands out among the diplomacy that characterizes access to the luxurious Hilton hotel in Riyadh, where Real Betis is concentrated. What united Betis is unlikely to separate. Three from Seville, one from Malaga and one from Barcelona. up to four scales. Thousands and thousands of kilometers and hundreds of euros. All for “something unique”: watch his Betis Balompie play in the Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). “If it was in Australia, we would go the same way,” these fans agree.

Capi from Carmona (Seville), Manolo from Ronda (Malaga), Pau from Morón de la Frontera (Seville), Mark from Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona), Dioni from San José de la Rinconada ( Sevilla) and Blete from San Lucar de Barrameda (Cádiz), will be present “almost by chance” in the semi-finals of the Verdiblancos with FC Barcelona. Capi, president of Peña CarmoBetis, says it first occurred to them to come to the Super Cup “shortly after winning the Copa del Rey” in April 2022.

The idea of ​​crossing half the world accompanied by Betis did not materialize, but a few beers during a trip to Helsinki, also flavored with verdiblanco, of course, gave the final push to Manolo, the eldest of the group – who is in his 20s at 40 years old – to take the lead. “I was in Finland before the HJK game with the other guys. We warmed up, and I did not hesitate, but of those present, only I went on the road, ”says Manolo. Several months have passed since that impulse in September, during which this man from Malaga did not have the company with whom he would finally vibrate in King Fahd Stadium. “I thought that one of those who went with me to Helsinki would accompany me, but no. I took the flights and the hotel myself, and two weeks after my arrival I knew that these guys did too.

The connection between these six football fans, as it could be otherwise, is at the heart of Benito Villamarin. Dioni and Blete know each other from university, while the others formed a relationship during their visits to the Heliopolis temple and during their antics with the crew, though none of them were quite like this. “I also came alone,” notes Mark, who is barely 20 years old, “but during a stop in Rome, I met the others, except for Manolo, who came from the other side,” he explains sarcastically, as Manolo left Malaga and made a stop. in Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, ​​Milan and Jeddah before landing in Riyadh. “Betis have never had a trip like this before,” he adds.

Following Betis to the Middle East doubles or triples the price of any other trip. “We reserved everything less than two months ago,” Kapi says. Mark, who had such cheap flights that Manolo remarked “160 euros round trip”, “160, what a bastard!” I’ll leave it here.” “More or less we all have the same budget, except for Manolo, who has part of the suite…” Pau jokes.

The economic barrier was not the only one that these beticos had to overcome. “With the visa, everything was just incredible,” says Dioni. “It’s almost better not to talk about this topic,” adds Manolo. “You can say that we arrived without a visa,” says Blete. The rush to move didn’t give enough time for the bureaucracy to work, and since everything was paid for and ready to fly, the six beticos didn’t have a visa. “Betis decided to solve the problem in two days, otherwise we would have been left without an entrance,” Capi thanks. Laughter again takes over the conversation when they remember the time of departure without a visa. According to Dioni, the visa was requested but not approved: “When we landed, we didn’t know if we had one. When we left, the club told us that they were going to help us, and when we arrived, we made sure that it had already been done. “Betis allowed four useless people to be in Riyadh,” Pau clarifies.

Real Betis management’s attitude towards this peculiar group has allowed die-hard players to spend some quality time with their idols. Poe notes that the club behaved phenomenally. “He let us visit the players at the hotel and they even invited us to have coffee with them.” In addition, Betis have issued tickets to nearly 40 Betis relocated to Saudi Arabia, “all but Manolo,” Dioni warns. “I’m the asshole in the group, that’s clear,” lamented the Malaga man, who is resisting his friend Pau’s latest push: I would have thought how little I paid for the trip…

The concept of hosting the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia doesn’t quite sit well with these Real Betis, who also appreciate the exotic side of the trip; “It’s a pity that many friends and the tide of verdiblanca can’t come, but if it weren’t for Betis, we wouldn’t know these places, also a stone’s throw away from winning another title…” says Capi. “I’ll really win… we can’t hit the fountain here, can we?” Dioni asks aloud, ending with a promise: “If Betis win, they will tattoo the Super Cup next to the Copa del Rey.”