Real Oviedo - History

History

Founded in 1926 after a merge with Stadium Ovetense, Oviedo first reached La Liga seven years later. Between 1933–36, the team gained success because of their revolutionary approach to football tactics. Their attacking quartet of Emilín, Galé, Herrerita and Isidro Lángara (all represented Spain in this period), as well as Casuco and Ricardo Gallart modernised the game with their pace and running off the ball tied with sharp passing and one-touch football, played in a style 30/40 years before its time, being dubbed Delanteras Eléctricas ("The electric forwards"); all this was connected with a rigid training and fitness regime started by a former manager of the club, English Fred Pentland.

Lángara won the Pichichi Trophy three years in a row prior to the Spanish Civil War, as Oviedo broke all scoring records (174 goals in 62 league games). With the outbreak of the conflict, however, the team broke up: Lángara emigrated to South America, Herrerita and Emilín signed with FC Barcelona, Galé with Racing de Santander and Gallart with Racing de Ferrol.

When football in the country resumed in 1939, Oviedo were relegated to the second division, as their pitch was deemed unplayable – Francisco Franco's troops had used the stadium as an ammunition dump. During the following decades, the club bounced back between the first (38 seasons) and second levels (32), the high point being qualifying for the UEFA Cup after finishing a best-ever third in 1962–63 (ranking joint-first with Real Madrid after the first 15 rounds), while the lowest was the side's first relegation to Segunda División B, in 1978 (for a single season).

With the FIFA World Cup to be held on home soil in 1982, the Estadio Carlos Tartiere was completely renewed, the first match being held with the Chilean national team (0–0). In 1984–85 Oviedo won the soon-to-be-defunct Spanish League Cup (second division), after successively defeating UD Salamanca, Bilbao Athletic, CF Lorca Deportiva, CE Sabadell FC and Atlético Madrileño (the latter with a 2–1 aggregate in the final).

In 1988 Oviedo returned to the top division, after ousting RCD Mallorca in the promotion playoffs (2–1 on aggregate, with striker Carlos, who would feature prominently for the club in the following years, scoring one of the goals), and remained in that level for 13 consecutive seasons – in 1990–91 it finished sixth, qualifying once again for Europe, and being knocked out in the first round by Genoa C.F.C. of Italy (2–3, although Oviedo bounced back from that defeat immediately, with a 2–1 win at the Camp Nou over Barcelona).

After being relegated two consecutive times, Real Oviedo suffered severe economic troubles, which, when coupled with a profound lack of institutional support from the city's government, resulted in the team's inability to pay its players. The club was then forced to drop all the way to the fourth division of Spanish football, for the 2003–04 season. At this point the team nearly folded, but eventually recovered and regrouped, returning to level three in the following campaign.

Oviedo lasted two further seasons before dropping down a level again. In another playoff against a Mallorca team – this time the reserves, the club returned again to the third division, after a penalty shootout; however, its survival remained at risk in the following years, due to continuing financial difficulties. These financial difficulties continued into the 2012-13 season, when the club called on supporters to buy shares in the club. A few footballers, notably Santi Cazorla, Juan Mata and Michu who all started their careers there, have offered financial support in an attempt to save the club from bankruptcy. The club had until November 17 to raise 2 million euros in order to prevent closure.

In last decade Real Oviedo is known for having one of the most faithul and fierce fans.On the 19th November 2012 Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world, invested around £1.6m in the club therefore gaining a controlling stake.