Furious Sevilla fans protest against Victor Orta 12 months after fiery Leeds United exit

Former Leeds United sporting director Victor Orta is now facing furious calls to leave Sevilla after fans gathered to protest against their transfer chief.

Sevilla have endured one of their worst seasons in recent memory, with a run of four straight defeats leaving them 14th at the end of the campaign and closer to the bottom three than European football. At several points over the past few months, relegation has been a real possibility and the club have burned through three managers since Orta’s arrival last summer.

A combination of poor recruitment and slapdash managerial appointments has left Sevilla in crisis and in the build-up to their final-day 2-1 defeat at home to Barcelona, supporters rallied to air their frustrations. Fans from the Biris Norte group marched towards their stadium with banners calling for wholesale exits.

In a clip posted on social media, much of that anger was aimed towards Orta with chants demanding he ‘get out’ of their club. Protests were also more generally aimed towards the entire board at Sevilla, with flags also appearing to show members, including Orta, with pig snouts edited over their faces.

Orta left Elland Road just over 12 months ago and while his relationship with supporters was never as hostile, Leeds fans made their feelings clear as the club plummeted towards relegation to the Championship. The Madrid-born transfer chief garnered credit for his leading role in the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa and fiery antics during games, but was ultimately unable to build a team fit for Premier League survival.

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Orta’s strengths at Leeds undoubtedly centred around youth recruitment, with the low-cost arrivals of Crysencio Summerville, Pascal Struijk and Illan Meslier all good business on reflection. But the Leeds transfer chief was not without his misses and struggled to match that youthful potential with experience.

The Spaniard also played a major role in appointing Jesse Marsch as what he claimed to be the natural successor of Bielsa, although the pair’s management styles differed greatly. After Marsch was sacked in February 2023, Orta was thought to be the main driver behind the arrival of Javi Gracia, an appointment that ultimately failed.

With just four games remaining, Leeds went for broke in handing Sam Allardyce a short-term deal, a decision that led to Orta’s resignation. As Leeds’ fortunes worsened and supporters aired their grievances, Orta was often filmed reacting angrily, in one instance suggesting there would have been no promotion were it not for him.

Frustration towards Orta only intensified after his exit, with relegation to the Championship revealing a number of controversial contract clauses in recent signings. The likes of Brenden Aaronson, Luis Sinisterra, Marc Roca and Robin Koch were all able to force loan exits in order to avoid playing Championship football, costing Leeds millions in potential transfer fees.

The chaos that 49ers Enterprises inherited when they took over last summer is still being felt at the club, with Leeds now set for a second season of Championship football following Sunday’s Championship play-off final defeat against Southampton.