Valencia fans arrested in Singapore for football protest

A Spanish couple on their honeymoon in Singapore has been detained in the country after protesting against the owner of a Singapore football club they support.

Dani Cuesta posted pictures of himself outside the home of Peter Lim, the billionaire owner of Valencia CF, holding a banner criticizing the business executive.

Mr Cuesta and his partner Mireia Sáez were stopped as they tried to leave Singapore airport on Friday and had their passports confiscated, Valencia Mayor María José Catalá told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

The pair are helping with an ongoing investigation into the alleged “participation in a public assembly”, Singapore police told the BBC.

Singapore has some of the strictest laws in the world regarding public gatherings, covering large gatherings of even one person.

The government says these laws are necessary to maintain order and security.

In 2020, a long-time Singaporean activist is campaigning for freedom of speech you are bound to include a poster with a smiley face on it.

Shortly after arriving in Singapore on Thursday, Mr Cuesta tweeted to X that he was “going to take pictures with my beautiful flag”, which read “Lim Go Home”.

Mr Lim is unpopular with Valencia fans, who have seen their club’s fortunes plummet during his ten years in charge.

Encouraged by netizens, Mr Cuesta posted a series of photos of himself at various tourist spots in Singapore holding a yellow banner.

Another photo shows him outside what is believed to be a luxury property where Mr Lim lives in Singapore.

The video he posted shows Mr Cuesta placing a yellow sticker reading “Lim out” – a common sight in the city of Valencia – on the gate of the residence.

The images quickly went viral among Valencia fans and Mr Cuesta even gave a light interview on a Valencia football podcast on Thursday.

He explained that as soon as his wife suggested going to Singapore, he had a “light bulb moment” and decided to bring a banner and stickers, which he placed on lampposts around the city.

“I told him ‘this is something I have to do’… maybe it will be in vain but it sends a message that we don’t want these people from Valencia,” Mr Cuesta told Tribuna Deportiva.

“I haven’t been arrested yet,” he joked. “My wife has been studying the laws in Singapore – she is looking forward to going over them tomorrow.”

Earlier that day, Mr Cuesta had joked to X that he didn’t want to “end up in a Singapore jail as that’s not how I see my next holiday”.

The next day, as they tried to board a flight to Bali, Singapore authorities stopped Mr Cuesta and Ms Sáez, according to the Mayor of Valencia.

“[The Spanish embassy in Singapore] confirmed that two people have had their passports confiscated, due to the ongoing police investigation,” Ms. Catalá told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

“They have not been told what kind of crime they are being investigated for. They can leave their hotel but not leave the country,” he added.

Meanwhile, Valencia CF said they are aware of the situation of two fans of the club in Singapore.

“Valencia CF and La Liga are in contact with the Spanish embassy in Singapore, who has assured us that they are both being advised and assisted in everything necessary with the aim of this being resolved as quickly as possible,” said the club’s statement.

Spain’s Foreign Ministry told the BBC that its embassy in Singapore is “providing assistance to those affected and is in permanent contact with their families”.

One of Singapore’s richest men, Mr Lim bought Valencia CF in 2014 and became the first foreign owner in the club’s history.

After the first honeymoon period, he fell out of favor with the fans as the team’s performances dwindled and the club went into huge debt off the pitch.

Traditionally a team that will challenge for the league and European titles, Valencia currently lie second bottom in the league.

Mr Lim has been heavily criticized for his friendship with Portuguese “big agent” Jorge Mendes and his alleged influence on the team’s recruitment of players and coaches.

One of Mr Lim’s colleagues is the former Manchester United defender, Gary Neville, with whom he managed the English lower league club Salford City until the beginning of this year.

Despite having no managerial experience, Mr Neville was appointed Valencia head coach in 2015 but was sacked four months later after mismanagement.

Libertad VCF, Valencia’s supporters group, said in a statement that it had “full support and solidarity” with the newlyweds and called for their “immediate release”.

“Their freedom of movement has been violated, simply because they exercised their right to speak peacefully,” the statement added.