City hall welcomes Valencia CF for Centenary speeches

In celebration of the club's  Centenary, Valencia CF representatives were invited to the city hall's 'Salón de Cristal' by mayor Joan Ribó on Monday afternoon. Players and coaching staff, legendary former players and current directors were in attendance.

Valencia CF president Anil Murthy, Valencia mayor Ribó and vice-president of the council Mónica Oltra all gave speeches, in front of members of the municipal goverment and persons related to VCF.

Murthy said in his address that "Valencia CF are celebrating 100 years at the top level of Spanish and European football, with many trophies and a glorious history of which we feel proud. This is a great European club and, as a result, the main ambassador for Valencia around the world."

"Today -and throughout this year- we are celebrating two things. The first is the great history of Valencia CF, the trophies won and the legends who have contributed to our greatness. We are going to honour this history. Secondly, this Centenary is a big opportunity to look to the future. We are strong and we have social, financial and sporting stability. We are clear about the path to take to make this club grow, and we have professionals working for that."

"In a tough season, our fans are supporting the team to fullest. The average attendance is going to be above 40,000. It's a sign of how strong Valencia CF are. Without this great fanbase behind us, this great club would not exist. Valencia CF continue to be the main social protagonist in this region."

Mayor Ribó added that "we have to celebrate and congratulate this club that symbolises our city, first of all, but it also symbolises our region. I want to underline that Valencia CF are an element for cohesion, integration and visualisation for our city and our region. I reiterate my congratulations and wish for a minimum of another 100 years for the club."

Vicepresident Oltra said that "Valencia CF fit the feeling of belonging to the community, along with the music, the local language, the festivals, food and history that we share."

Legends Mario Alberto Kempes, Claudio López, Roberto Gil, Ricardo Arias, Juan Sol, Pep Claramunt, Robert Fernández, Pep Serer, Antón Martínez, Miguel Tendillo, Fernando Giner, Vicente Guillot, Paco Camarasa, Amedeo Carboni, Voro González, Miguel Ángel Angulo, Jorge López, Darío Felman, Juan Sánchez, Enrique Saura and José Vicente Forment were present at the reception, which ended with Murthy handing over a special commemorative shirt to the mayor and the guests watching the 'mascletà' from the balcony of the city hall.