Valencia fan protests against club owner Peter Lim outside S'pore condo assisting with investigations

Their passports were impounded.

By

Tan Min-Wei

October 09, 2024, 09:02 PM

A Spanish couple is assisting the police with investigations for staging a protest outside of Valencia CF owner Peter Lim's Ardmore Park condominium.

He was demanding Lim to quit the club.

The police confirmed with Mothership that a police report was lodged against a 34-year-old Spanish man and a 30-year-old Spanish woman.

They are assisting with investigations into the alleged offence of taking part in a public assembly under Section 16(2) of the Public Order Act 2009.

The duo's passports have been impounded while investigations are ongoing.

Sticker and a flag

On a Twitter/X post dated Oct. 3, a fan of football club Valencia CF, Dani Cuesta, posted a video of him crossing Ardmore Park towards the Abelia Condominium.

The Abelia is Valencia CF owner Peter Lim's private residence, and as of 2007 he and a business partner owned the whole building.

Hotel Abelia, propietario Peter Lim! Muy feo por cierto.. pic.twitter.com/Fc6QqQykT4

— Dani cuesta (@daaanii1414) October 3, 2024

In the video Cuesta posted, he approaches a chained and locked metal gate, and places a small sticker, smaller than the palm of his hand, on the gate.

Also on the post is a picture of him holding a yellow flag, with the words "LIM GO HOME" emblazoned across it, and the letter O in 'go' replaced with the club's bat based crest.

The flag also had the number "19' " on it twice, symbolising the club's 1919 founding year, as well as the symbolic 19th minute protest that Valencia fans have used to voice opposition to Lim's ownership.

Cuesta was also carrying a yellow drawstring bag with the words "Lim Go Home" on it.

He also visited the Marina Bay area with his flag, posting pictures of him displaying his flag in the Merlion Park at the boardwalk just outside MBS.

Merlion Park de Singapur pic.twitter.com/3pd4QsYwj7

— Dani cuesta (@daaanii1414) October 3, 2024

Buenos dias desde Singapur 🇸🇬 pic.twitter.com/YsF7y76XR0

— Dani cuesta (@daaanii1414) October 3, 2024

Property Damage

Cuesta reportedly had stopped in Singapore as part of his honeymoon, with his social media indicating that he had gotten married in September and was planning to leave for Bali on Oct. 4.

But according to Spanish journalist Hector Gomez and Daily Sport, both Cuesta and his wife were detained when attempting to leave Singapore.

A tweet by Gomez claims that the couple's passports were taken away.

🚨🇸🇬 El aficionado valencianista @daaanii1414 lleva retenido en Singapur junto a su mujer desde el pasado viernes

💳 Les retiraron los pasaportes y les tienen en un hotel sin salir
👮‍♀️ Mañana a las 15.30 de allí tienen que declarar SIN SABER de que se les acusa
🪧 Hacerse una… pic.twitter.com/QqKPIgMF1t
— Héctor Gómez (@Generaldepie_) October 7, 2024

Buyout and get out

Valencia CF is a venerable Spanish club that recently celebrated its centenary.

A four-time winner of the Spanish La Liga, most recently in 2004, it has since fallen on hard times.

By 2014, the club had become mired in serious debt before being bought out by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim.

He reportedly wiped out the over S$500 million in debt the club held with supporters chanting his name. Valencia would eventually win Spain's main club competition, the Copa Del Rey, in 2019.

But since then, the mood in Valencia for Lim has soured severely, with fans accusing him of allowing the club and its facilities to fall into disrepair, demanding that he sell the club.

The club spent most of the 2023/2024 season battling relegation and lies in 18th place in La Liga after seven games.

Fans of the club often hold protests both inside and outside the stadium, usually holding yellow banners saying "Lim Go Home".

Mothership has reached out to the Spanish Embassy in Singapore for more information.