Atlètic Sant Just given 48 hours to find new venue for historic Mallorca Copa del Rey clash

Just days after celebrating the historic achievement of reaching the first round proper of the Copa del Rey, where they will face La Liga side RCD Mallorca, Atlètic Sant Just have been told by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) that they will not be able to host the game in their regular home ground in Sant Just Desvern. 

The match will even have to be moved to another town altogether, as there is no alternative pitch in the municipality, located in the outskirts of Barcelona, that can host the game.

Club Sporting Director Carlos Cebrián told Catalan News of his disappointment upon receiving the news on Wednesday at midday. He says it's "quite sad" that the club won't be able to host the game in their municipality, "and I think the Federation should take that into account." 

Atlètic Sant Just now have a deadline of Friday midday to find a suitable ground to play the game against the 2024 Copa del Rey finalists.

The game is scheduled to take place at the end of the month, an evening of either October 28, 29, or 30, and Cebrián affirms that their regular ground in Sant Just Desvern would be in "perfect" conditions to host the encounter by then.

"Our fans, and especially our more than 700 youth players, had the chance to see a team from the first division play in our facilities up close, see how they are and how they play," Cebrián, also a club founder, explains, "but today Wednesday the Federation sent us an email to say our facilities weren't apt to play this tie."

The Federation offered "no reason" why the ground didn't meet requirements, according to Cebrián. "We now have 48 hours to find a Plan B, another ground."

Atlètic Sant Just were founded in 2010 and have since then risen up four divisions, without spending money, from Quarta Catalana to compete this year in Lliga Elit, the highest division in Catalan football before reaching the Federation-governed leagues. The Catalan side defeated Atlético Catalayud 7-1 on aggregate to qualify for the first round proper of the Copa del Rey. 

Cebrián understands that any ground hosting a Primera División team has to be up to standards: "It's a professional team coming to play and obviously they should be treated as such." Yet, he adds that "the Federation should know that when allowing smaller, more modest clubs like us, to partake [in the Copa del Rey], they could well encounter this kind of issue."

To make matters more frustrating for Atlètic Sant Just, Cebrián says they "don't even know what exactly the issues are because they've given us no specific or technical explanation."

Grounds at this stage of the competition must meet certain requirements, such as light fixtures, a gantry for television infrastructure, and certain security conditions, requirements that he admits Atlètic Sant Just's ground currently does not meet, "but I'm sure that in the 20 days we have, we could meet those requirements." 

"We can't have additional stands or 600 lumen floodlights installed today, that doesn't make sense. But for the day of the game, everything would be perfect," he says.

The sporting director lamented that "it won't be the same as playing in our local ground, the ground of all the children who play here every week."

He says it will be a "disadvantage" to not play the game in their normal home ground, but he acknowledges the task at hand will be difficult regardless of where the game is played. "You have to dream, but you also have to have your feet on the ground, we're playing a team from the first division with international players, and we're playing in the 6th tier."

Cebrián understands how big the gap between the sides is, "but with that, it wouldn't be the first time there was a surprise," the director says with a smile.