This one isn’t that much of a place, but more of a concept. However, it is integral to the culture of the province of Asturias. As in the rest of Spain, soccer is king there, and the clubs of the two big cities of Asturias, Real Oviedo and Sporting de Gijón, face off twice a year in one of the most heated rivalries (derbies) in the country. Think of the great American rivalries: Ohio State vs. Michigan, Red Sox vs. Yankees, Lakers vs. Celtics, and double it. These two teams hate each other, and the weeks leading up to the derby are all anyone can talk about.
Sporting Gijón were formed in 1905 in the city of the same name. Gijón is on the coast, and is the largest city in the province. Its inhabitants are largely considered working class, giving the team that reputation. Because of this, many people in rural Asturias will also support them. Sporting’s jersey is composed of red and white stripes, hence their nickname Los Rojiblancos, or the “Red and Whites”. They play at Estadio El Molinón, a 29,000 seat stadium just outside the city. The club thrived in the 20th Century, playing many years in the Spanish Primera División, the highest tier of Spanish soccer. However, due to some troubles this side of 2000, Sporting have played mostly in the Segunda División for the last three decades. However, this pales in comparison to what happened to their southern rivals, Real Oviedo.
Real Oviedo were formed in 1926 in the city of the same name. Oviedo is located in the interior of the province, and it runs on a service economy rather than a physical labor one. This is just one of the many huge differences between them and their northern neighbors. Real Oviedo also wears a blue jersey, and their nickname is the Carbayones, the Asturian word for “oak trees”. Their stadium, the Carlos Tartiere, holds 31,000 fans. Like their rivals, Real Oviedo thrived in the 20th Century, playing many seasons in the Spanish top flight, but in the early 2000s, hard times hit the club, and they hit hard. They were relegated in consecutive seasons from the First Division all the way to the Fourth Division, and they spent most of the 2000s trying to not fold due to bankruptcy. In the 2014-15 season they were promoted back to the Second Division, where they now play. The Asturian Derby can only occur when both teams are in the same league. Due to Real Oviedo’s massive problems in the 2000s and 2010s, the derby went unplayed from the 2001-02 season until the 2017-18 season.
The hate between Real Oviedo and Sporting de Gijón is deep and intense. Both cities have many go-to chirps and insults about their rivals. The people of Gijón love to accuse Oviedo of being posh and stuck up. Meanwhile, the people of Oviedo accuse Gijón of the opposite, of being backwards and like a rural village. Gijón claims to have a beach, and Oviedo counters that claim by saying that it looks like a dump. Oviedo fans also call their rivals muiles, or mullets, due to the large presence of them in the Gijón harbor area. (In Asturias, mullets are considered a trash fish). Gijón loves to note that the Carlos Tartiere is an ugly stadium that looks like a concrete bunker. Notice how none of these insults regard winning, and that is because neither club, despite over two combined centuries of existence, have never won a single trophy. I am sure that as soon as one wins something, the other will never hear the end of it.
Historically, Oviedo leads the series with 48 wins, 28 draws, and 34 losses. Since the resurgence of the rivalry in 2017, Oviedo has owned the series, losing once and drawing three times in the last 11 meetings. The next edition of the derby will be played on Sunday, May 14th, in Gijón, and all of Asturias will be itching to watch it.
Top: Arrival of the Real Oviedo team bus at the Carlos Tartiere Stadium
Middle: Real Oviedo striker Borja Bastón celebrates in front of Sporting fans after putting his team up late in the game
Bottom: logos of the two clubs