Singapore police investigating Spanish couple for protest against Valencia owner Peter Lim

A Spanish couple are currently being investigated for protesting against Peter Lim, the Singaporean owner of Spanish football club Valencia.

The police told AsiaOne on Thursday (Oct 10) that a police report was lodged against a 34-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, both Spanish nationals, for allegedly taking part in a public assembly.

The couple's passports have been impounded while investigations are ongoing, they said.

Social media posts by the Spanish man, Dani Cuesta, on Oct 3 included photos showing him holding a sign that reads "Lim Go Home" and a video of him pasting stickers saying "Lim Out" at various locations in Singapore.

These locations included Merlion Park, the Esplanade, as well as Abelia – an 11-storey condominium in Ardmore Park said to be owned by Lim.

Cuesta's posts soon went viral, some garnering over 260,000 views, and he received mixed reactions from netizens.

Some fellow fans of the football club praised his actions, calling him a "hero without a cape" and thanking him for voicing their frustrations.

One netizen wrote: "He has gone where no one managed to go before."

Others, however, did not approve of Cuesta's behaviour.

"Singapore Police Force, here you have a tourist damaging the city," commented one such netizen.

In response to this, Cuesta said: "As you have seen I have not hurt anyone, I have only expressed the discontent of an entire fan base."

Lim, a Singaporean billionaire who bought over Valencia in 2014, has been heavily criticised by fans for poor management decisions and team's declining performance in Spanish League La Liga, reported the BBC.

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Detained at airport

Cuesta and his wife Mireia Saez, reportedly on honeymoon in Singapore, were then detained at Singapore's airport when they tried to board a flight to Bali on Oct 4, Valencia Mayor Maria Jose Catala told Spanish radio station Onda Cero on Tuesday.

"[The Spanish embassy in Singapore] confirmed that two people had their passports taken away, due to an ongoing police investigation," said Catala.

"They have not been told what type of crime they are being investigated for. They can leave their hotel but not the country."

Valencia CF also said on Tuesday that it is in contact with the Spanish embassy in Singapore, which assured that the couple are being advised and assisted in every possible way to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

It added that it wishes for the "best and quickest outcome".

AsiaOne has reached out to the Spanish embassy in Singapore for more information.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com