Last update 13 April, 2019 por Alberto Llopis

Does the story of when Sevilla won 22 or Betis know? For a start, I distinguished month will allow readers to speak in the first person (as inadvisable in journalism by its degree of subjectivity). I will do so because this story has a lot crumb, especially in Seville, Argumentative the city where the plot of the next piece occurred.

 I will like to clarify that I am not a follower or a computer or another, even Sevillian citizen, but I'm equally attracted to the city, for its people and for its two main sets, although the degree of objectivity that implies regarding possible sevillistas or béticos.

Mito o realidad, the truth is that it is a story with contradictions

Having said that, should be removed from the trunk of memories A fabulous history, unthinkable in our time and happened in 1918. For a legend, other reality for most exaggerated plot in some nuances: el 22-0 the Sevilla Real Betis managed to make one 10 March of that distant year in the Campo del Mercantil. A story that has more than 100 años, with very contradictory sources and without a “absolute truth” that allows us a complete understanding of the true situation.

To start the thread of the narrative should know that the Real Betis was born in 1907, two years after Sevilla, the great team of the city at that time and remained unbeaten against Football (as well set was called the verdiblanco) desde 1914.

At that point, It should also know that Sevilla and Betis had to face in the semifinals of the Copa Andalucía and Extremadura, which met at the 1918 its third edition. And should finally know that Sevilla was the team with influence on Sevillian institutions and oceangoing in the upper classes and the Betis was the village team, but also military, which it made great players from other parts of Spain that made military service in Seville pass through the Betis during their stay in Seville.

And these data exposed argued, it should be noted that each team would play a match in their field, playing and winning the Seville 3-2 in his stadium “Commercial field” and doing the same Betis 3-2 en el “Enramadilla field” He causing had to play a third game playoff.

Yes ok, in the first game would not see controversy, in the second Sevilla was about to protest because field measurements and the goals were not regulatory, (which seems to be made every time you came to play this venue), and they were not suitable for playing football with guarantees.

He was also airing their anger, because there were general elections coincided with the meeting and thus, absences security force to brake 3.000 béticos frenzied willing to beat rivals if needed. Pero sobre todo, because after scoring a goal was going to stab his footballer Manuel Pérez as he was preparing to take the throw, since an armed madman with a knife and a stick would agreder the player from behind and cause a tumultuous scandal.

With said culture broth, el 10 de marzo de 1918 It is going to hold a meeting tiebreaker again in the field Mercantile Sevilla. But before he would be held into scene Ximénez de Sandoval Jose, considered war hero in Spain (for his exploits in Cuba) and General Captaincy of Andalusia.

This malagueño General, upon learning of the serious riots occurred in the Betis stadium, He forbade any military participate in the party, so Candas and Artola, Basque players who did military service in Sevilla were not allowed to leave the barracks, causing enormous anger predictably Real Betis, who lost part of his best men.

This caused the bética directive would bet by bringing a youth team rather than his true template and hence the bulky marker that explains this strange and curious history. Sin embargo, far from ending there the story, It should be one last question: What was meant by playground equipment?

Set the age of majority in 25 años, the children's categories were players who were around the border 18 años. It certainly played several players older, also at least five children, but not the identity of all members of that legendary party. (The cover photo shows alignment Betis is in that game).

They are the things of time, things of one of the greatest rivalries in the world and the stories of two essential teams in Spanish football and world.