‘I suffer a lot’: Villarreal owner braced for tense Anfield test
VILLARREAL CF Fernando Roig with the 2021 Europa League trophy at Estadio de la Cerámica Europe’s longest-serving president Fernando Roig on how far club have come since he rescued them 29 years ago ‘We can’t compete economically with the biggest clubs. Our policy is clear: be sustainable’ 19 Oct 2026 - The Guardian Sid Lowe The first time Fernando Roig watched Villarreal play as their president, he sat in the stand at a tiny whitewashed ground that had concrete fever and was half empty. It was a Sunday night in the second division, they lost 3-0 against Badajoz, and he didn’t enjoy it much. But then, he never enjoys it much. Even tomorrow at Anfield, he will not: into his 30th year, the longest presidency in Europe, that is about the only thing that hasn’t changed. More than 1,000 games and still it happens. “I don’t get nervous,” he says. “It’s worse: I get worried, very anxious. I suffer a lot. “It’s emotional to play Liverpool. This will be the fifth time we have faced ...