“Sarriأ،, powder keg of emotionsâ€, read the cover of El Mundo Deportivo in Barcelona on Sunday, January 5, 1969. The title was accompanied by photos of Amancio and Marcial, figures from Madrid and Espanyol, who They had to face each other in old Sarriأ،.
The second round began. Madrid was the undefeated leader and the Spanish team was doing poorly, despite their luxurious front line of Los Delfines (Amas, Marcial, Re, Rodilla and Josأ© Marأa), the most talked about of a team with other figures like Lico or Glarأa . Created by the bold and controversial Vila Reyes to compete for the title, it had lost its seven outings and two home games.
It was played in the morning because it was Three Kings Eve. It rained all the night before, it was still raining at game time. Madrid (ye-yأ©) suffered a loss, Pirri, who was replaced by José Luis, more than a substitute: an excellent player whose ideal position was fatally that of Pirri and who therefore had to find a life in others. He was international as a full-back and as a winger. He had a rare facility for scoring goals, which is why Tony Leblanc baptized him as Pepe El Goles in the newspaper AS.
Espanyol started brightly and crashed a ball into Betancort’s squad. But Madrid soon took control thanks to the enormous play of their midfielder, Josأ© Luis-Grosso-Velأ،zquez. Amancio scored before the break.
In the 56th minute, Miguel Pأ©rez, who was being closely pursued by Riera and Josأ© Marأa, turns against him and hits him with a punch that the referee Medina Iglesias does not notice. Josأ© Marأa falls, the usual whirlpool builds up, he gets up.
In the hubbub of discussions he kicks José Luis in the Achilles tendon and now it is the Real Madrid player who falls to the ground. Medina expels Josأ© Marأa amidst a big fight. Josأ© Luis gets up, is talking to Marcial when Riera approaches, insults are exchanged, he hits him in the stomach and Josأ© Luis hits him with an impeccable one-two. Now the one expelled is José Luis.
The scene is captured by one of the two Pأ©rez de Rozas brothers (legendary last name in Barcelona journalism for three generations), Carlos or Enrique, who covered the match for the Cifra agency, under whose signature it was published. It looks like a pure boxing scene. It was on the cover of all the sports newspapers, opened the sports section of the general newspapers, occupied generous space on the news and was widely disseminated in the foreign press.
The Committee ruled on Wednesday: four matches for José Luis, another for José María for assault, two for Riera for violently engaging in violence with an opponent, and another two for Miguel Pérez for attempted assault. Medina Iglesias receives a month of suspension and loss of rights for that match due to omissions in the minutes and lack of authority.
José Luis remembers that in detail with a distant regret: “I left my team with ten, we were winning and we ended up tied. Miguel Muأ±oz my laugh, he told me, didn’t he see that they were provoking him?â€. And also with a certain humor: “They called me Pepe Goles, my classmates started calling me Pepe KO. The photo was very good, I think they gave the photographer a prize of half a million or something like that.â€
What caught the most attention was the technical correction of José Luis’s hit and Riera’s dodge. Pedro Carrasco, the greatest champion of the time, commented in an interview that it seemed like real boxing. “Many newspapers came to me from abroad. One said in English that in the fields of Spain, in addition to football, boxing was practiced. I have saved clippings there. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it happened. Between Riera and I he left no residue, we both know that these things happen in football.â€
It was the most famous punch in Spanish football.
