The Muñoz Pérez stadium reopens its doors: football returns to Estepona

There are stadiums that simply open their doors.

And there are others who, when they do it again, seem to recover something they had been waiting for for months.

Tomorrow that happens at the Francisco Muñoz Pérez stadium .

At 9:00 PM.

First day.

First chance.

First night of a season that arrives with a completely different feeling than the previous one.

Because the last official match played here ended with a team staying in the league.

With hugs.

With tears.

With a field invasion.

With a city celebrating that its team had managed to survive when practically no one expected it to be able to do so.

A little over three months have passed.

And now it's time to go back.

Back to competing.

To suffer again.

Win back.

To believe again.

Because tomorrow another story begins.

And this time, for the first time in a long time, CD Estepona is not looking down.

Look ahead.

The Muñoz Pérez stadium feels like a football pitch again.

Perhaps that's the best news of all.

Football is back.

The routine of every two weeks returns.

The red and white jerseys are back.

The conversations before the match.

Nerves.

The lineups.

The children entering the stadium.

The rocks.

Hugs.

The debates.

The goals.

And that moment, so simple and so special, when the lights come on and everything starts again.

Muñoz Pérez has experienced many things during the last few months.

He experienced the anguish of a season that seemed lost.

He witnessed the arrival of Julen Guerrero .

He witnessed the transformation of a team that seemed doomed.

He witnessed the arrival of Manolo Sánchez .

He experienced an extraordinary second half of the season.

He experienced a relegation playoff.

And he experienced one of those nights that remain in his memory for a long time.

Now it's time to write another page.

And this page begins at home.

The team that returns is no longer the same.

Because even though the shirt is still red…

even though the shield remains the same…

even though the stadium is exactly the same…

The CD Estepona team that will take to the pitch tomorrow is no longer the same one that finished the first half of last season.

There's something different.

It shows.

In the template.

In the coaching staff.

In the structure.

In the fandom.

And above all, in the feeling surrounding the club.

Last season ended with a survival that seemed like a miracle.

This begins with a dream that has already taken the form of a project.

Manolo Sánchez continues.

The coaching staff continues.

A significant part of the bloc continues.

The club has opted to retain key players and add those it deemed necessary.

And that is also a statement of intent.

Because it's not just about changing players.

It's about sticking to an idea.

One direction.

One way to understand where the club wants to go.

And this summer we've seen something that had never happened before with this board of directors on such a large scale:

renovations of practically an entire block.

Around 16 players have continued.

Manolo Sánchez has done it too.

His coaching staff as well.

The management structure as well.

And also Julen Guerrero , one of the figures who has most changed the perception of the project since his arrival.

It's not a revolution.

It's something else.

It's continuity.

It's stability.

It's about building on what worked.

And that matters in football too.

A lot.

1,500 people have already said yes

And if anyone wants to know how the fans are getting on board with this new project, just look at one number.

1.500.

CD Estepona has reached its all-time record for season ticket holders this season.

I'd never had so many.

And that fact probably explains better than any speech what is happening around the club.

Because a season ticket is not just a card.

It's a decision.

That means you're going to be there.

That you want to be a part of it.

That you're coming back.

That you will accompany the team when they win.

And also when I lose.

A few months ago, we had to convince people that there was still something worth fighting for.

Today we must find a place for everyone who wants to be part of what's coming.

And that completely changes the scenario.

The fans no longer look at the Muñoz Pérez stadium with fear.

He looks at it with excitement.

And he'll do it again tomorrow.

And then the past appears

Because football also has a memory.

And the calendar has decreed that the first day should have a name of its own.

Xavi Molist.

The coach who will occupy the visiting bench tomorrow.

The same one who occupied the premises a few months ago.

Nine games.

A victory.

Eight defeats.

Zero draws.

The numbers don't need much explanation.

There's not much more to add.

It doesn't need embellishment.

There's no need to look for someone to blame.

The numbers are there.

And after those nine games came Manolo Sánchez.

And with him came something that seemed impossible.

The team reacted.

He competed.

Won.

He closed the gap.

And he ended up being saved.

Football, sometimes, writes its own answers.

And this is one of them.

Because there was a moment when it was said that it didn't matter who was on the bench.

Time eventually proved that it was not all the same.

It wasn't the same.

It wasn't the same.

And tomorrow both paths will meet again.

But this time from different sides.

Molist will be on the visiting bench.

Manolo will be at the venue.

And Muñoz Pérez will be in the middle.

There's not much more to say.

Let football do the talking.

A controversy that shouldn't be one.

And then there are the tickets.

Because there has also been a lot of noise surrounding this match.

Xerez wanted more seats.

Estepona has decided otherwise.

Finally, the visiting team has 200 tickets available for its fans.

And it has been considered insufficient from Jerez.

It's understandable that Xerez wants to bring as many fans as possible.

It's also understandable that their fans want to be there.

But there is one reality that should not be lost amidst so much discussion:

CD Estepona plays at home.

And it is the local club that has to organize its stadium.

Who knows its capacity.

Who knows its distribution.

Someone who knows their needs.

Who knows the security circumstances.

And who, ultimately, decides how they want to manage their localities.

There's not much more to it.

The capacity of the Muñoz Pérez stadium is what it is.

There are approximately 1,500 subscribers who already have their site.

Some tickets have been sold during the last few weeks.

There is a visitor section.

And there's a city that also wants to enjoy its team's first game.

That's why it's difficult to understand why giving away 200 visitor tickets is presented as a kind of affront.

There are 200 people.

In a stadium with limited capacity.

And in a category where we are not talking about stadiums of 30,000, 50,000 or 80,000 spectators.

In fact, it might be helpful to put the number into perspective.

200 tickets.

In a stadium with a capacity of about 3,000.

More than 6% of the capacity.

A figure that, by itself, can hardly be described as ridiculous.

And one only needs to look at elite football to find a reference point: Champions League regulations stipulate a minimum of 5% of the stadium's UEFA capacity for away fans. In a 3,000-seat stadium, that percentage would be 150 tickets.

Estepona has put up 200.

Further.

This does not mean that UEFA regulations will apply tomorrow at the Muñoz Pérez stadium. They will not.

But it does serve to put a figure into context.

Because here we are talking about a stadium with a limited capacity, with around 1,500 season ticket holders and with tickets that have been on sale for the last few weeks.

Did Xerez want more?

Perfect.

You might want them.

Did their fans want to come?

Also.

But wanting more tickets doesn't mean you're entitled to them.

Because Muñoz Pérez is from Estepona.

And tomorrow Estepona plays at home.

Spot.

Football returns when everyone wanted it back the most.

And perhaps all of this is secondary.

Because tomorrow, when the referee blows the starting whistle, the tickets will no longer matter.

The discussions too.

The statements.

The controversies.

All.

It will be eleven against eleven.

A stadium.

A t-shirt.

A shield.

And a whole season ahead.

And that's precisely what's beautiful about it.

After everything that has happened, CD Estepona is starting all over again.

But he no longer does it out of anguish.

He does it out of enthusiasm.

From a squad that has retained a significant part of the core.

From a coach who has already proven what he can do.

From a technical team that knows the way.

From a project led by Julen Guerrero that has brought professionalism, structure and ambition back to the entity.

And from a fan base that has decided to respond like never before.

1,500 subscribers.

Historic record.

And tomorrow they will all meet again in the same place.

The first step is once again at home

Some seasons begin with doubts.

There are others that begin with fear.

And then there are those who start with enthusiasm.

This one starts off with enthusiasm.

Looking forward to seeing the team.

I'm eager to go back to the stadium.

Eager to discover how far this project can go.

I'm eager to see what Manolo has built.

Eager to see what a revamped squad, but with a recognizable foundation, can bring to the table.

Looking forward to listening to Muñoz Pérez again.

And above all, I'm eager for the football to start.

Because it's been too many months of waiting.

Too many days without competition.

Too many conversations about what happened.

Now it's time to talk about what's next.

And what's coming starts tomorrow.

At 9:00 PM.

At home.

Against Xerez.

With Molist on the visiting bench.

With Manolo at the venue.

With 1,500 subscribers behind it.

With a city ready to turn red again.

And with Muñoz Pérez reopening its doors.

Because El Vigía's last match ended with them staying in the league.

The first of this new stage begins with something different.

With enthusiasm.

And perhaps that is the most important thing.

Because after everything we've been through…

I can't wait for football to return.

Tomorrow we have to go to Muñoz Pérez.

Tomorrow it all starts again.

And this time, we want to see how far he can go.