Racing Santander are officially back in the First Division of Spanish football, putting an end to a long and painful 14-year ordeal. Despite having been an extremely tough season, the Cantabrian team dominated the division with an iron fist, overcoming moments of hesitation and difficult defeats that, at one point, even raised doubts about the viability of the project.
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The last game in the maximum category took place on May 13, 2012, in a heavy 2-4 defeat to Osasuna at the El Sardinero Stadium, which culminated a disastrous campaign with three different coaches and authentic institutional chaos that left the club on the brink of bankruptcy and disappearance.
Faced with a scenario of disaster, the mass of associations took a step forward and saved the club from almost certain death. Over the last decade and a half, Racing has become a regular inhabitant of the Second Division B or the Primera RFEF, adding brief spells in the Second Division where it was barely able to maintain its permanence. The balance of this journey through the lower divisions was 600 games played, divided into 270 wins, 150 draws, 180 defeats, four accesses, three relegations and five knockout stages played.
For Santander and the entire Cantabria region, this rise represents the return to the elite of one of the most emblematic clubs in Spain, which boasts on its CV the status of founding member of the League, 44 appearances in the top flight, a Spanish runner-up, two Copa del Rey semi-finals and the reputation of having one of the best training schools in the country.
The historic feat is the deserved reward for some unshakable fans who never abandoned the emblem in its darkest hours and who, in recent years, have successively sold out the El Sardinero stands, in addition to accompanying the team in massive entourages at away games. But this season’s success is also due to the stability brought by the new ownership led by Argentine Sebastián Cería, who pacified the club after the troubled years of ruinous managements such as those of Piterman, Pernía or Ali Syed. Cería gave complete autonomy to the sporting structure and the sporting director, Chema Aragón, ended up being decisive by demonstrating enormous competence in summer and winter signings, building a balanced squad with guarantees of success.
Within the four lines, coach José Alberto proved the value of his philosophy with a markedly offensive bias. Initially the subject of some skepticism, the Asturian coach knew how to readjust and balance the team in time to lead the league table in 30 of the 40 rounds of the competition. Racing’s football was carried on its back by the lethal duo of Íñigo Vicente and Andrés Martín, references of the most productive attack in the league. Even when the winter market brought setbacks, such as Jeremy’s departure and Arana’s constant injuries, players like Asier Villalibre, Guliashvili, Gustavo Puerta and Peio Canales assumed responsibility in the midfield and in attack, ensuring the consistency necessary to secure an undisputed promotion and return Racing de Santander to the league of the greats.
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