Peter Lim returns to Valencia amid unrest before Barcelona meeting

Valencia owner Peter Lim has arrived in the city before Sunday’s home match against Barcelona, with supporters preparing protests against the club’s ownership and management around Mestalla.

Lim travelled to Valencia on a private jet on Sunday morning, only a few hours before kick-off, according to Catalan newspaper Sport. Spanish publication AS reported that Valencia have not officially confirmed whether Lim will take his place in the directors’ box, although expectations are that the club’s highest-ranking figure will be inside the stadium to watch the game.

His arrival comes at a particularly difficult point for Valencia. Carlos Corberan’s side have taken just one point from a possible nine in their opening three La Liga matches. Discontent has also increased following the transfer window, with supporters planning a series of demonstrations aimed at the club’s ownership and board.

That is expected to make the area around Mestalla especially tense before the match, with relations between Valencia fans and the club’s administration already strained.

Barcelona are understood to be monitoring the situation closely, Sport said, as the fixture represents their first away trip involving supporters since incidents near Martinez Valero before their opening La Liga appearance against Elche.

Security measures organised by the same police force led to confrontations between Barcelona supporters and members of the Policia Nacional before that match. The incident remains a concern within the Catalan club.

Barcelona subsequently condemned what it described as the “excessive” use of force against one of its supporters and requested explanations about the security intervention that took place before the game.

The meeting with Valencia also carries memories of unrest from the final round of last season. Before the two teams met, incidents were reported around Mestalla, where local supporters set off flares and threw objects towards police officers while chanting as Barcelona’s team bus passed.

With Valencia fans preparing further action against the club’s owners and management, the build-up to Sunday’s fixture is expected to attract significant attention. Lim’s presence, if confirmed in the stadium, is likely to add another focus to an already sensitive occasion.

The protests come as Valencia attempt to improve a poor start under Corberan, who has seen his team collect only a single point from their first three league games. Barcelona, meanwhile, will be particularly alert to developments outside the ground because of the recent confrontation involving their travelling supporters and police at Martinez Valero.

The match at Mestalla is therefore set to be played against a backdrop of pressure on Valencia’s ownership, frustration over the club’s early results and heightened awareness around crowd and security issues.