By Manolo Rodríguez

This Sunday, it will be exactly 45 years since Real Betis had to play a match with white shirts. One of the strangest facts that had happened in the Club's contemporary history. A rarity that deserves to be remembered.

This unwanted event happened in the 1973/1974 season in a match Real Betis played in Barcelona against UE San Andrés. The second round of the league had just begun and the Green and Whites were in a good streak. They were unbeaten for seven games between LaLiga and Copa del Rey, they were leaders in Second Division and were marching with commodity towards a promotion that they eventually achieved.

Such a weird story began on Saturday the 19th of January of 1974. In the afternoon, the team was flying towards Barcelona. Fifteen players had been called up by Hungarian manager Ferenc Szusza. Hundreds of fans waited for the team at the hotel and the Catalan press made a good coverage of it. Passion for Betis.

A passion that the day after fills Santa Coloma ground. Majority of Béticos in the stands.

The sale of tickets breaks all the records. The papers say that more money was made and more fans attended than when Real Madrid had gone to play against San André two years before. Absolute scenes.

San Andrés were managed by veteran coach Fernado Daucik (Betis coach between 1960 and 1962, and later in 1968) who, half an hour before the kick off, announces a quite defensive tactic. The usual when you are playing against the leader.

The line-ups were as follows:

UE San Andrés: Comas, Rodri, Paquito, Moya, Tovar, Curta (García 70'), Serena, José Manuel, Martín, Patro (Díaz 45'), Rivero.

Real Betis: Esnaola, Bizcocho, Iglesias, Sabaté, Cobo, López, Olmedo, Biosca, Del Pozo, Aramburu (Mamelli 70'), Benítez.

The kick-off is scheduled for 11.45 a.m. but when the time comes, the teams do not come out the dressing rooms. The match is delayed and the fans start to feel nervous. Twenty minutes later, the reason behind it spreads among the audience.

What happens is that Real Betis' crates have not arrived. They have no kits and no boots. The agency in charge of moving the team's items have mistakenly send them to Martorell instead of Santa Coloma.

Vice-chairman Fernández-Aramburu tries everything in his power to make arrangements and get everything to the right place, but minutes go by and nothing gets fixed. The crates take more than 45 minutes to arrive. Everyone is nervous and, after that time, the referee decides it is time to start the match. The venue is full and they can't take risk with the attendants.

San Andrés then offers to lend everything Betis would need: shirts, trunks and boots. Betis players get dressed quickly and, at half past twelve, they step on the field wearing the home team's second uniform: white shirt (with San Andrés crest in the chest), black trunks and black and red socks.

Unbelievable image. Real Betis is dressed in white! A thunderous ovation welcomes the players on the pitch. A swarm of kids and adults surround the players for the official photo. Funnily enough, all the kids wear green and white caps or shirts, while the players are dressed in something that looks nothing like Betis.

The match finally kicks off and when just four minutes have gone by, the referee is informed that the crates have arrived. He doubts, but Real Betis players explain that they feel quite uncomfortable with other people's boots. He understands and San Andrés captain, Patro, does as well.

With everyone's permission, the game stops to be resumed in normal conditions. Betis players go back to the dressing room, fit their own boots and take the chance to wear the green and white shirts and white trunks that belong to them. To not waste more time, they don't change the socks their hosts had lent them, black and red. A kit in which they were pictured.

Apart from all these events, the game wasn't good. 0-0. Too many distractions and overconfidence. There were barely any chances in any of the ends. Betis pushed forward in the second half but they got unlucky with the referee. They were not awarded a clear penalty and Del Pozo got a goal disallowed for offside.

In that Betis, Biosca was still a left winger (and scoring many goals); Rogelio was the team leader; Esnaola was the biggest star on his first year; the defence was led by veterans such as Iglesias and Sabaté; and the strikers were Aramburu and Mamelli, without forgetting the recently-signed Anzarda or the fast Del Pozo and Benitez. A superb team.

Betis got promoted that year with great authority and with a twelve-point difference with Sevilla FC, also in Second Division that year. The derby at Villamarín was won by the Green and Whites 3-0.

Since that day, Betis have never worn white again. That single time. 45 years ago.