Santiago Canizares calls for radical Mestalla boycott to force Peter Lim into Valencia sale

Legendary former goalkeeper Canizares has called for an outright boycott to empty Mestalla in a bid to force Peter Lim to sell Valencia. Public fury reached boiling point on Sunday following a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Barcelona, which left Los Che languishing at the bottom of the Liga table. Canizares believes drastic action from supporters in the stands is the only effective way to embarrass the hierarchy and capture the absentee owner's attention.

The former Spain international insisted that the club's deep-rooted internal crisis extends far beyond merely dropping points on the pitch.

Speaking on the Tiempo de Juego show on Cadena COPE, Canizares told Paco Gonzalez: "The problem isn't dropping three points; the problem is far more serious and many people want a public uprising. A complete and repeated emptying of Mestalla would draw a lot of attention and would at least embarrass the hierarchy... I don't know if Peter Lim even knows the state of the team right now, if he's watching the matches, or if he cares in the slightest."

He also warned that the ownership will only react when the threat of the drop becomes unavoidable: "The owner will only start to get his act together and think about the January transfer window when he sees the whole operation falling apart."

Delving deeper into the club's demise, Canizares highlighted the incredible loyalty of the fanbase, which he feels is being taken for granted while buyout interest is routinely ignored.

In a video shared by Tiempo de Juego, he continued: "Valencia is wounded; it is mortally wounded. Earlier, during the half-time messages, they were saying that for Peter Lim to leave, there has to be someone who wants to buy Valencia. Valencia is a goldmine of a business, an absolute goldmine. Look at it: forty-odd thousand guys, forty-odd thousand people turn up at Mestalla even though they know they are going to suffer, they are going to be embarrassed. In other words, it has an extraordinary fan base.

"The problem is that Peter Lim hasn't been willing to listen to those who have tried to buy the club. The last attempt was no more than a year ago. So we have a problem, which is how to force Peter Lim to put this club up for sale. The next problem will be who buys it. But how do we get Peter Lim to put this club on the market, get out of our way, and wake us from this nightmare? There is only one way to do it: through social pressure. I know society and the supporters aren't to blame, and they deserve a lot of credit for standing by the team, but that is the only way."

Canizares also expressed regret over the role played by local politicians: "Politicians could have done it by refusing the latest rezoning permit and denying him the huge business opportunity that is the Nou Mestalla, but they chose not to. And only the people can save Valencia, even though it isn't fair - it's not fair to demand that of them."

Valencia must swiftly arrest their slump when they travel to face Sevilla on Friday evening. Without a clear response from the boardroom and tactical improvements from Carlos Corberan, threats of an empty Mestalla could trigger an even wider escalation in supporter unrest. Restoring stability amidst ownership turmoil remains an immense challenge as the club battle to avoid the drop to the Segunda Division.