[스포티비뉴스=강남, 허윤수 기자 / 송경택 영상 기자] The hot summer that thrilled Korean soccer fans has passed. Tottenham Hotspur, led by Son Heung-min, received a lot of attention, but Spain’s prestigious Sevilla was no less. In particular, their sincerity was enough to impress Korean fans.
On the 14th, ‘Sportiv News’ had an exclusive interview with Jose Castro Carmona, chairman of Seville. Following the first part on the 26th, part 2 will be introduced.
Founded in 1890, Sevilla is a major player in the La Liga. He won the league once and the Copa del Rey five times, and in the last three seasons, he finished fourth in all of them, solidifying his semi-final system. In particular, last season, the gap with second-placed FC Barcelona was only three points, narrowing the gap.
Seville is called the ‘King of Europa’ by domestic fans. It is also true that the team has won the most tournaments with a total of 6 wins, including 2 UEFA Cups, the predecessor of the Europa League. Since 2014, he has also set a record of winning the Europa League for the third time in a row.
“I think Sevilla has continued to grow over the past 15-16 years,” said Jose Castro, president of the club. Through the league, they also won the Champions League ticket for the third year in a row. “It’s very important to advance through the league rather than winning the Europa League because it means that you have been doing well throughout the year,” he said.
Regarding the secret, “All members of Seville work with the same goal of growth every year. Everyone, regardless of department, works hard for the success of the club.”
Not only this. The spirit of not giving up pervades the whole of Seville.
“The credo shared by the Sevilla club and its fans is that they never give up. I don’t think Real Madrid ends up at least four times the budget of FC Barcelona and below that team. You may not be able to reach your goals every year, but you know that you can achieve them by working toward them. I don’t think that I can’t beat my opponent just because I don’t have enough resources.”
Here, his eyesight and nurturing ability are also excellent. Chairman Jose Castro said, “There is also a special advantage of recognizing and developing potential players early. He has a successful model that works well with those players and sells on demand.”
As he said, Sevilla is a master of player development. The youth system that becomes Hwa-soo is also strong. The current team captain Jesus Navas (36), Sergio Ramos (36, Paris Saint-Germain), Marchena (42), and Jose Antonio Reyes are all works of the club’s youth system.
Chairman Jose Castro said, “It’s not all, but it is the youth system that has sustained Sevilla. There are so many success stories such as Navas, Ramos, Marchena, etc.,” he said.
“The biggest secret is infrastructure,” he said. It is sparingly investing in infrastructure such as hotels, locker rooms, parking lots, and gyms. “It’s the best facility where players can train well and, above all, make progress little by little to reach the first team.”
“Players always want to move forward little by little. We are working hard to get them into the first team at this very moment.”
Another interesting thing is the return of players who left Sevilla. Navas and Ivan Rakitic, 34, also wore Sevilla jerseys once more.
Chairman Jose Castro said, “There are players who have returned, but there are also a lot of players who want to come. This is clear evidence that Sevilla are a comfortable team. Most of the time he sheds tears when he leaves for another team.”
“In this sense, Seville is like a family,” he said. The club allows all players to focus on football as much as possible. I think that such an environment makes a good example.”
Seville, who had no special relationship with Korea, but was sincere. Will she have a chance to meet them once more? Furthermore, the visit of Seville, where a Korean player belongs, is enjoyable just by imagining it.
“I don’t know what to do tomorrow, but I don’t know regarding soccer,” said Jose Castro, president of Sevilla. Watching Team K League and Tottenham Hotspur games, he might see how much the level of Korean football had grown.”
“It will not be easy because only good players from all over the world come to Sevilla,” he said. It would be a great honor for a Korean player to wear the Sevilla jersey for us. I hope to do that someday.”
Lastly, Chairman Jose Castro said, “Thank you very much for the warm welcome and love. The most important thing is that I want to show Korean fans a fun and great game.”
“Tottenham are a strong team,” he said. However, Sevilla have won many European titles and are not left behind. Above all else, it is a priority for Korean fans to experience the best matches.”
In the match that followed, Sevilla and Tottenham played a high-quality match, drawing a 1-1 draw.
Chairman Jose Castro said, “We played the pre-season in Korea. If Sevilla’s performance this season is good, I think it will be a good reason to visit Korea next time.”
