Event

Reaching 57 years as an official Peña is undoubtedly a reason for celebration, and that’s exactly what the Peña Atlética de Pozoblanco in the province of Córdoba did. More than half a century cheering on our Atleti deserves a grand celebration, and we were lucky enough to be invited.

Along with Encarni, president of the Peña Atlética de Pablo Barrios and a personal friend, we set off and stayed at her sister’s house, who lives near Pozoblanco. We arrived on Friday the 14th, and the celebration was planned for Saturday, March 15. Around 11 in the morning, we met up in Pozoblanco with Juan José, president of the Peña, and he had the brilliant idea of showing us how COVAP, a dairy industry, operates. The guided tour was excellent and left all attendees amazed by the experience and the hospitality we received.

The Day of the Peñas is a day designed for all peñistas to come to the stadium and celebrate that we are one red-and-white family. Unfortunately, the sanction imposed a few days ago by Atlético de Madrid on the members of the animation section dampened the festive atmosphere compared to previous years. Many members who had nothing to do with the throwing of lighters during the last derby were unable to enter. Not only that, but they now face a ban from traveling to matches for five games, even though some had already booked flights and hotels.

There is no bad date or distant place when it comes to celebrating an anniversary among “rojiblancos.” We know this very well in our peña, so when we received the invitation from the Peña Atlética de La Bañeza Un Sentimiento to join them for their 29th anniversary celebration, we didn’t hesitate for a second.

It was clear that we had a weekend full of emotions and rojiblanco brothers and sisters eager to party ahead of us. That’s exactly what I told Txus, a die-hard colchonera and new to these adventures, as we set off Thelma and Louise-style on our way to La Bañeza.

The essence of a supporters’ club lies not only in attending games together or assisting its members but also in representing Atlético de Madrid and honoring its name. A few months ago, we learned coincidentally that there are some avid Atleti fans among the students in the 4th grade of the public school CEIP “Ntra. Sra. de las Nieves” in La Zarza (Badajoz).

We came up with the idea that we could bring them some joy, and when Christmas arrived, our supporters’ club decided to write to the Three Wise Men so that they could leave them a red-and-white gift on our behalf. Today, they sent us these photos that show their joy upon opening the package, proudly displaying the flags, scarves, and other details inside.

Sometimes, fan clubs come up with ideas that initially seem utopian, but when the International Union of Fan Clubs (Unión Internacional de Peñas) and Club Atlético de Madrid collaborate, everything becomes easier.

One of these ideas was to shape a project that had been in mind for a while but had never been carried out: a Meeting of European Atlético Fan Clubs. The number of fan clubs representing us beyond national borders is growing, and the goal of this meeting was to give them a voice and visibility, and, above all, to make them feel part of the red-and-white family.