There may be titles missing, but the history of Racing de Santander is not insignificant. The Cantabrian club was among the 10 founding members of La Liga and, after playing 44 seasons in the top category, it occupies 15th place in the historical classification.
In 2008-09 they beat Manchester City and tied with Paris St-Germain in the UEFA Cup. However, by 2013 the club had fallen into chaos. After 10 consecutive campaigns in the top category, consecutive relegations left the Verdiblancos in the third regionalized semi-professional division. But that was the least of his problems.
Indian businessman Ahsan Ali Syed bought the club in early 2011, but within months it was reported that Racing’s financial problems had not gone away. In the summer they were in bankruptcy protection.
Later, the club’s president, Francisco Pernía, and his board resigned. Pernía’s successor, Ángel Lavín, promised an immediate return to La Liga, vital for the club’s financial health. Instead, the 2012-13 campaign ended with relegation.
Things came to a head during Racing’s improbable run to the quarter-finals of the following season’s Copa del Rey, during which they eliminated top flight Sevilla and Almería. After the board’s demands for resignation were ignored, the Racing players made good on their threat to refuse to play.
Racing was disqualified and excluded from the following season’s competition, but the image of the players arm in arm on the field drew worldwide attention to the club’s plight.
“I will never forget the greatest feeling of pride of being a Racing fan and of those boys who wear our shirt,” Aitor Alexandre, a lifelong fan and subscriber, tells BBC Sport.
“I have rarely seen so many people cry. It was the day we knew that we were indestructible, that we had won the war and that no one could try to destroy the club again.”
Lavín was removed as president the next day. In 2022, a prison sentence of two years and nine months for fraud and embezzlement began.
In 2022, Syed was the subject of an extradition request in London on behalf of the Swiss government, which alleged that he had used fraudulently acquired money to finance investments, including the acquisition of Racing Santander.
