Hércules CF | Alicante’s forgotten icon: https://lowerblock.com/articles/hercules-cf-alicantes-forgotten-icon/ (Pics included in the link)
Things have been bad on the pitch… In recent years, Hércules have slipped down into the fourth tier of Spanish football, Group III of the Segunda Federación, a system which contains 90 teams divided into five groups.
But off it… even worse. The Estadio José Rico Pérez, which once hosted matches during the 1982 World Cup, the late great Maradona himself gracing the turf, has been left to rot – garbage and graffiti taking over the stadium and the streets that surround it.
“The Estadio José Rico Pérez stadium was inaugurated in 1974 in a match played against Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona. The 70s were the golden age of Hércules with a team that came close to qualifying for Europe, finishing fifth in the Spanish League. During World Cup in 1982 Maradona’s Argentina played in the stadium and international matches have been played against various national teams, including England and Scotland.
“Great players like World Cup winners Mario Kempes and David Trezeguet have played for HCF. But unfortunately, during the last 10 years we are going through one of the darkest moments in our history, last season for the first time in history we found ourselves in the fourth division during our centenary season.