Getafe CF

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Getafe CF

Full name

Getafe Club de Fútbol

Nickname(s)

Azulones (The Dark Blues), El Geta

Founded

1983

Ground

Coliseum Alfonso Pérez,
Getafe, Madrid,
Spain
(Capacity 16,300)

Chairman

Ángel Torres Sánchez

Manager

Vacant

League

La Liga

2007-08

La Liga, 14th





Home colours





Away colours

Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Getafe, a city in the metropolitan area of South Madrid, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983. Their stadium is the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.

[edit] History

[edit] Earliest foundation

The first incarnation of Getafe Club de Fútbol existed since 1945, when five Getafe locals, Enrique Condes García, Aurelio Miranda Olavaria, Antonio Corredor Lozano, Manuel Serrano Vergara and Miguel Cubero Francés, decided to form a team from the area while meeting at the "La Marquesina" bar. Officially founded on the 24 February 1946, the club was called Club Getafe Deportivo.^[1]

The earliest days of this club were played out of the Campo del Regimiento de Artillería, which did not have goals. Shortly after, the club moved to San Isidro, where the current Municipal Sports Center of San Isidro exists today. Here, Club Getafe gained promotion to the third division following a victory against Villarrobledo in the 1956/57 season. Getafe even came close to promotion into Segunda during 1957/58, before being defeated by C.D. Almería.^[2]

Club Getafe Deportivo

On September 2, 1970, the club finally inaugurated its own stadium as they gained promotion back into Tercera División. Presided over by chairman Francisco Vara, Las Margaritas was founded with a 3-1 victory over Michelín. The team survived in the third level that season, and six years later gained a historic promotion to second division.^[3]

[edit] New history In Segunda

Club Getafe Deportivo played six seasons in Segunda División, with little success. From 1976-1982, they never finished higher than tenth. At the conclusion of the 1981/82 season, following unpaid payments to players, Getafe was automatically relegated and subsequently liquidated.

Meanwhile, on September 1, 1976, a new club was founded in the National Sports Council and the Regional Federation of Castille. The club was Peña Madridista Getafe (the Real Madrid supporter's club of Getafe). This club played for four seasons in various divisions, until taking the name Club Deportivo Peña Getafe, and played under this name for a further two seasons. On July 10, 1982, they joined forces with the much older Club Getafe Promesas, and were registered again in the Regional Federation of Castille.^[4]

[edit] Present existence

Based on the merger the previous year, the present Getafe Club de Fútbol was officially founded on July 8, 1983, after passing through the general partners assembly.^[5]

Starting in the regional leagues in 1983/84, Getafe was promoted for four consecutive seasons until reaching Segunda División B. The club started a new period with its promotion into the second-tier in 1994/95, staying only two years.^[6]

Meanwhile, Getafe's current stadium, the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, was inaugurated on the January 1, 1998.^[7]

Returning to the second division for 1999/00, Getafe lasted another two seasons. One year later, however, they would return, following an amazing promotion during 2001/02 during which one of their players, Sebastián "Sebas" Gómez, was murdered, and controversy regarding unpaid payments of players following a debt of 3 million euros.^[8]

Consolidating their position after one year, Getafe had a fantastic season in Segunda. At the top of the table for most of the year, the side travelled to the Canary Islands on the final matchday needing a win to assure a historic promotion to the first division. Amazingly, they defeated C.D. Tenerife 5-3 with five goals from Sergio Pachón,^[9]thus becoming the first Madrid suburban team into La Liga. With this promotion, Getafe had ascended the whole Spanish football pyramid, achieving this feat in only twenty years.

[edit] 2004/05: First La Liga season

In Getafe's first top flight season, which included a March 13, 2005, 2-1 home win against Real Madrid, they finished a comfortable 13th, being the only previously promoted side to maintain its status, as both Levante UD and CD Numancia were relegated straight back down.

[edit] Consolidation and progress

Getafe's next season in the top-flight proved even better. Getafe had a solid start to the season and actually held pole position in the league for a week. However, late October and early November saw a slump in from as they crashed from the heady heights of Champions League qualification spots to mid-table. But the slide went no further and Getafe finished the season in a very respectable 9th position with 54 points. Their consistency and competitive spirit impressed pundits and fans alike.

During the course of the season Getafe took several famous "scalps" with victories over quality teams like Valencia and Atlético Madrid. Their main offensive weapons included left back free kick specialist Mariano Pernía, Serbian striker Veljko Paunović (10 goals each) and an "unknown" Daniel Güiza (nine). During the 2006 World Cup, Argentine-born Pernía became Getafe's first ever Spanish international,^[10]before moving to Atlético Madrid.

In 2006/07 Getafe also finished ninth, producing memorable results which included another home win against Real Madrid and a draw with previous year's league champion FC Barcelona. The side would achieve UEFA Cup qualification courtesy of their 2007 Spanish Cup finalist spot (losing 1-0 to Champions League berth owner Sevilla FC in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium). Previously, they ousted Barcelona in the semifinals, routing them 4-0 at home on May 10, 2007, after having lost 2-5 at the Camp Nou.

In the league, Getafe finished with the joint best defense overall, conceding only 33 goals in 38 matches together with Barcelona (11 goals in 19 home contests). Newly signed goalkeeper "Pato" Abbondanzieri was awarded the Zamora Trophy, having recorded 12 clean sheets.

The following season, coach Bernd Schuster left after two seasons to become head coach at Real Madrid, as Getafe appointed former Real Madrid and Barcelona player Michael Laudrup as his replacement. The playing staff changed as well with 7 players leaving the club including Alexis, Güiza and Ángel Vivar Dorado. The club would acquire, amongst others, Rubén de la Red and Esteban Granero from Real Madrid. Getafe started the season poorly, needing 7 games to record the first victory, but over the winter they steadied the ship and managed to accumulate more points on the board. This included two good wins, one at home to Barcelona (2-0) and a controversial 1-0 away success against Real Madrid which kept the team in midtable. More importantly, Laudrup's attacking philosophy was getting wide recognition, as Getafe ranked among the teams displaying the most attracting football.

On May 16, 2008, Laudrup announced he would leave the club after the season.^[11]

In the UEFA Cup the team managed to progress to the quarterfinals after finishing in the groups stages at the first place in group G, only losing to Hapoel Tel Aviv on their first lost in Europian stage ever. On the Nock-out stages Getafe recorded historic wins against European giants as Tottenham Hotspur, Anderlecht, AEK Athens and Benfica, setting up a tie against European giants and the favorited team to win the title, Bayern Munich, while also being the last surviving Spanish team in the competition. Opposing chairman Franz Beckenbauer highlighted how far Getafe had come when he openly admitted of not knowing anything about the club. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, the teams met in the Madrid outskirts, with king Juan Carlos and his son Felipe amongst the game attendants. Only 6 minutes had passed when De la Red was sent off, making a tough job even harder. Romanian Cosmin Contra scored again against Bayern just before halftime. In the 89th minute, Frenchman Franck Ribéry volleyed home the equaliser and sent the game into extra-time. However, the supplementary period began with two additional goals for the astoundingly resilient home side, courtesy of Javier Casquero and substitute Braulio. Bayern struggled for much of the extra-time period but were suddenly thrown a lifeline when Luca Toni stabbed home from keeper Abbondanzieri's dreadful blunder on 115 minutes. The cause still seemed hopeless with the clock ticking down, but Munich never threw in the towel and veteran Oliver Kahn was up front and involved in the move which saw Toni head home from the last move of the match and earn his side a place in the semi-finals, a cruel way for the Getafe UEFA Cup run to come to an end.

Getafe made relatively light work of reaching the Spanish Cup final for a second year running again, beating Racing Santander in the semifinals, as Valencia, managed by Ronald Koeman, defeated Barcelona in the other contest. After two early goals for Valencia, De la Red shortened the gap with a penalty kick, only for Fernando Morientes to score the decider.

[edit] Stadium

Main article: Coliseum Alfonso Pérez

Getafe play at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, located in Getafe. Its pitch dimensions are 105x70 metres. The stadium was inaugurated on January 1, 1998, named after the Spanish international (and of Real Madrid fame) Alfonso Pérez. Though he never played for or against Getafe, or even in the stadium, he is perhaps the most famous footballer to come out of the area and was at the height of his career during the mid-1990s.

Before playing in the Coliseum, Getafe played their home matches at the nearby Estadio de las Margaritas, part of the greater Sports City of Las Margaritas. The Coliseum was subsequently built as a natural extension to the much smaller facilities at Las Margaritas. Since its foundation, the stadium has had numerous renovations, and now seats 14,400 people and several thousand more standing. As such, the exact capacity of the is variable and ambiguous. Getafe generally fill the stadium for local matches against Real and Atlético Madrid, as well as against Barcelona, most famously in the 2006-07 Cup semifinal.

Getafe president Ángel Torres has expressed interest in upgrading the Coliseum to a much greater 20,000 seat arena, in conjunction with Madrid's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. The failure of this bid and poor crowd averages has put this redevelopment in doubt.

Getafe use the nearby Sports City when training. These facilities include several training pitches with both grass and artificial turf, full medical rooms and recuperation facilities.

[edit] Supporters

Commonly called Marea Azul, or Getafeños, Getafe supporters have steadily grown to their team. The team has 18 peñas (supporter clubs), and 12,000 socios (associates). Former Madrid player Francisco Pavón is a well-known Getafe associate, while Fernando Alonso and Rafael Nadal have attended matches at the Coliseum in the past.

Despite being a suburban team, Getafe supporters have grown far beyond the area and are now known to have fans in Australia, Sweden, Finland, Argentina, Scotland, Denmark, United States and Mexico. In 2007, a peña was founded in Venezuela to extend the worldwide club reach.

Getafe fans in the past have been involved in some unfortunate racial incidents, most notably against Samuel Eto'o. Repeatedly fined by the LFP, the club famously threatened to black out their players faces for the next match in an effort to squash the racism.

Getafe also created controversy in 2007 when their season ticket campaign included biblical references of Abraham, Moses and Jesus sacrificing themselves for the team. The club responded by withdrawing the first scene involving Abraham.

Upon important or famous victories, Getafe fans celebrate at the Cibelina statue in the town centre. Prior to the 2007 Cup final, Torres implored the fans to "tear down the Cibelina" upon victory, promising to pay for a new design. During that final, thousands of supporters rushed to get tickets and packed into the Santiago Bernabéu, yet were vastly outnumbered by Sevillistas. However, those who failed to get tickets - most of which went to season ticket holders for the 2007/08 campaign - were able to watch the match on a big screen in Getafe's central square.

Getafe has also a small group of Ultras supporters, called Comandos Azules. (Blue commandos).

[edit] Rivalries

Historically, due to their close geographical position, Getafe has always held a strong rivalry with CD Leganés. They played out numerous encounters in the lower division, before the two teams fortunes began to contrast as Getafe gained ascendency and Leganés began to deteriorate.

In the first division, the side has held some tremendous matches in the last few years with Real Madrid, with the ledger being most recently squared at 3 wins each. Real Madrid's greater stature, budget and squad has never stopped Getafe from often playing their best football against their "bigger brother". Getafe also has a smaller rivalry with Atlético Madrid.

[edit] Achievements

Spanish Cup

Runners-up (2): 2006-2007, 2007-2008

Zamora Trophy for Roberto Abbondanzieri in 2006-2007

1 Participation in UEFA Cup
4 seasons in First division
6 seasons in Second division
11 seasons in Second division B
1 seasons in Third division

[edit] Current squad

The numbers are established according to the official website: www.getafecf.com and www.lfp.es

As of March, 2008

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Oscar Ustari
2	DF	Cosmin Contra
3	DF	Daniel Díaz
4	DF	David Belenguer (captain)
5	DF	Mario
6	MF	Fabio Celestini
7	MF	Mario Cotelo
8	MF	Jaime Gavilán (loan from Valencia CF)
9	FW	Braulio
11	MF	Francisco Sousa
12	DF	Lucas Licht
13	GK	Roberto Abbondanzieri
14	FW	Manu del Moral

No.	Position	Player
16	MF	Juan Albín
17	FW	Kepa
18	FW	Ikechukwu Uche
19	DF	Franck Signorino
20	MF	Miguel Pallardó (loan from Valencia CF)
21	DF	David Cortés
22	MF	Javier Casquero
23	DF	Manuel Tena
24	MF	Pablo Hernández
25	MF	Esteban Granero (loan from Real Madrid)
78	DF	İbrahim Kaş
-	MF	Eugen Polanski
-	FW	Joffre Guerrón

[edit] Squad changes for the 2008/09 season

[edit] In

No.	Position	Player
78	DF	İbrahim Kaş (from Beşiktaş)
	MF	Eugen Polanski (from Borussia Mönchengladbach)
	FW	Joffre Guerrón (from Liga Deportiva Universitaria (Quito))

[edit] Out

No.		Position	Player
10		MF	Rubén de la Red (to Real Madrid)

[edit] Reserve team

For more information, see Getafe CF B.

[edit] Out on loan

No.		Position	Player
15		MF	Nacho (to Real Sociedad)

[edit] Unregistered players

No.		Position	Player
-		MF	Pablo Redondo

[edit] Foreign players 2007/2008

[edit] Staff & Board

[edit] Staff 2007/08

Manager: Michael Laudrup
Assistant Manager: John "Faxe" Jensen
Technical Assistant: Luis Milla
Technical Assistant: Eric Larsen
Goalkeeper Coach: Jan Carlos Arévalo Aguilar
Trainer: Oscar García Hermo
Physiotherapist: Álvaro García Zudaire
Physiotherapist: Carlos Enrique López Nuevo
Physiotherapist: Raúl Sánchez Infante
Medical: Ana de la Torre Combarros
Medical: Alberto Cerqueira Fernández
Medical: Christopher Oyola Palacios
Kitman: Javier Cabeza Valero (Peñi)
Kitman: Francisco Gutiérrez Pinilla
Delegate: Jesús Mantilla Gutiérrez
Recuperator: Sergio Jiménez Rubio

[edit] Board 2007/08

President: Ángel Torres Sánchez
Vice President: Agustín Clemente Alonso
Board Members:
- Manuel Ruiz Morales
- Antonio Alonso Herrero
- Jesús Neira Salazar
- Jesús Martinez Velasco
- Julián Melero Díaz
General Director: Antonio Mendoza
Sporting Director: Santiago Llorente
Marketing Director: Ainara Knörr
Chief of Press: Luz Monzón
Secretaries:
- Juan Leil Pérez
- María Paz García Novo

[edit] Recent History

Season		Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Cup	Notes
2002/2003	2A	11	42	13	14	15	52	55	53	Second Round
2003/2004	2A	2	42	20	16	6	55	38	76	First Round	Promoted
2004/2005	1A	13	38	12	11	15	38	46	47	Last 16
2005/2006	1A	9	38	15	9	14	54	49	54	Last 16
2006/2007	1A	9	38	14	10	14	39	33	52	Final	Qualified for 2007-08 UEFA Cup
2007/2008	1A	14	38	12	11	15	44	48	47	Final

[edit] Stadium information

Name - Coliseum Alfonso Pérez
City - Getafe
Capacity - 16,300
Inauguration - 1998
Pitch size - 105 x 68 m
Other Facilities: - Ciudad Deportiva

[edit] Kit information

Getafe wears their traditional blue strip. Small strips of white and red also tend to be incorporated in their kit. Generally, their away strip is red, however this has changed in recent years. Their shirt manufacturer is Joma.

Previous sponsors