Cañizares: Valencia is Mortally Wounded; Only Fan Pressure and an Empty Stadium Can Force an Ownership Change

Valencia legend Santiago Cañizares has voiced his concerns over the dire situation facing the once-illustrious club. After just four rounds in La Liga, the team sits at the bottom of the table with a mere single point, having suffered a humiliating 0-5 home defeat to champions Barcelona yesterday.

The string of poor results has only intensified the already negative sentiment among the "bats" faithful towards Singaporean owner Peter Lim.

Speaking on the program "Tiempo de Juego," Cañizares stated: "Valencia is mortally wounded. For Peter Lim to leave, there needs to be someone willing to buy the club. It's an attractive proposition. You have over 40,000 people attending Mestalla, even though they know they will suffer and be ashamed. The fan base is exceptional. The problem is that Peter Lim refused to engage with those who wanted to buy the club, the last of whom was no more than a year ago. We have a problem: How do we get Lim to put Valencia up for sale?"

"Who will buy it? That will be the next problem. It can only be achieved in one way – through social pressure. I know the fans are not to blame and deserve recognition for being there. Politicians could have acted, but they chose not to. Only the people can save Valencia. Although it wouldn't be fair to demand that of them," the former goalkeeper continued his analysis.

Cañizares also believes that the current situation extends far beyond a single loss or sporting results. "The problem isn't losing three points; the problem is much more serious, and people want a public uprising," he declared.

In this vein, the former player suggested a drastic measure: emptying the Mestalla stadium to increase pressure on the club's management. "A complete and repeated emptying of the stadium would attract a lot of attention and at least cause shame for the management. I don't know if he even knows the current state of the team, if he watches the matches, or if he cares in the slightest," Cañizares remarked.