The rebirth of football in Reus: "Oliver ran the club like a chieftain. Now, on the other hand, we have an open club"

BarcelonaWhen in 2019 everything went wrong, surely few people imagined that the city of Reus would continue to enjoy its football. After years of irresponsible management that caused shameful scenes, La Liga decided to expel Reus Deportiu with the season already started in the Second Division. Joan Oliver, former general director of Barça in Joan Laporta's first tenure, had managed to bring Reus to the Spanish Second Division for the first time, but he did so by playing so hard that he burned his fingers. He fell out with the fans, stopped paying, and couldn't find anyone to sell the entity to. Instead of bringing glory to Reus football, he sank it.

In 2020 Reus officially disappeared because it did not overcome bankruptcy proceedings. It seemed like the end, with the death of a centenary club. But six years later, more than a thousand Reus residents filled the side of the Olympic Stadium of Tarrassa last weekend to see how Reus Reddis qualified for the play-off for promotion to Primera RFEF. If they overcome two eliminators, Reus will once again have a team in the third division of state football, where they could meet Nàstic de Tarragona to relive the great derby. The first leg of the first round is this Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Municipal de Reus. In six years, Reus has gone from experiencing a sad funeral to being more excited than ever.

play-off for promotion to Primera RFEF, in which the name of the city of Reus is once again placed in a position of football merit at the state level, I would tell you that not even a sudden streak of euphoria would have made me imagine a situation as positive and upward as the current one," he adds.

of promotion to Primera RFEF, in which the name of the city of Reus returns to a place of football merit at the state level, I would tell you that not even a sudden streak of euphoria would have made me imagine such a positive and upward situation as the current one", he adds.

play-off for promotion to Primera RFEF, where the name of the city of Reus is once again placed in a position of football merit at a state level, I would tell you that not even a sudden burst of euphoria would have made me imagine such a positive and upward situation as the current one," he adds.

Things in life, Reus Reddis qualified for the But if one name has to be highlighted, everyone is clear who it is: Marc Carrasco, the coach. "He is everything. He practically invented the project himself. He was the coach of Reus's youth football and revolutionized things so much that many of those players were signed by Barça or Madrid. When the club was falling apart, he achieved the youth team's promotion in the midst of a crisis. That's why he ends up being the chosen one to be the coach of the new Reus Reddis. A young coach who looked for players, called them, and explained the project to them. It breathes reusencosidad with two documentaries about Oliver's years at the fish market

Life happens, Reus Reddis qualified for the play-off for promotion by winning 0-1 in Terrassa and eliminating Barça Atlètic, the club chaired by Joan Laporta, Oliver's partner in the Reus Deportiu venture. "It's poetic justice. People don't forget what they did, and when they played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, people chanted against Oliver and Laporta. Oliver ran the club like a warlord. He was a kind of dictator. For example, music wasn't played on the PA system because it bothered him. When Laporta's son debuted with the team, he ordered that his surname not be announced over the loudspeakers. He let the fan clubs die, he ignored the fans... Now, on the other hand, we have an open club, with fan clubs, with good communication on social media, and that understands the city, with ideas like making a jersey inspired by Antoni Gaudí," adds the journalist, who has been key in exposing the mismanagement with two documentaries about Oliver's years in the stands. with two documentaries about Oliver's years in the stands.

"Right now we have five independent proceedings in preliminary stages. The thesis is that it could be proven that it was a scam, that they wanted to sell a club that was already ruined. His idea was to promote it to the First Division to sell it at a good price, but they made a mistake. Now we are in the preliminary investigations and awaiting trial. In some cases, they have even returned money to investors who felt cheated. That is to say, they already admit some of the facts," says Rauet.