The Arrecife City Council celebrated this past weekend the patronal festivities of the city, the capital of Lanzarote, in honour of San Ginés. The events concluded with sports activities over the weekend, including the grand final of the San Ginés Football Tournament, which marked its 56th edition in 2025.
The Municipal Government, led by Mayor Yonathan de León, has claimed in a press release that the patronal celebrations were a success, featuring youth, rock, cultural, folk, musical, and sports activities, all carefully organised by the relevant councils.
The highlighted sports events were supported by the Sports Council, headed by the PP spokesperson, Eli Merino. This week, the 56th edition of the San Ginés Football Tournament took place, organised directly by the Sports Department of the City Council. UD Lanzarote emerged victorious, with teams including Orientación Marítima, Inter Playa Honda, and CD Tinajo in the women’s triangular, while UD San Sebastián de los Reyes, Xerez, Tenerife “B,” and UD Lanzarote competed in the tournament held on the newly renovated artificial grass pitch at the Lanzarote Sports City.
As it did last year and in line with similar football tournaments across Spain, the Sports Department hosted a celebration for nearly 400 individuals representing all participating sports clubs from Lanzarote, other islands in the archipelago, and the mainland. This event took place at a hospitality venue in Arrecife. Several members of the Arrecife government were present, including the Sports Councillor, the second deputy mayor, Roberto Herbón, the councillor for Security and Emergencies, Kevin Cortés, and the insular sports advisor, Juan Monzón. Mayor Yonathan de León was off the island that day.
Comments from Eli Merino
During the trophy presentation on Friday evening, Councillor Eli Merino received a warm ovation for her speech, in which she reflected that “some people do not see sport as something clean and participatory; they view it as a weapon, if I may use the analogy, akin to Hooliganism, to attack and destroy.”
Eli Merino stated that the new dates for the tournament had allowed for sufficient accommodation and logistical arrangements for teams travelling from outside Lanzarote. In August, the city of Arrecife experienced a high occupancy rate in hotels, thanks to the vibrant nature and quality of the festivities and events.
During her address, the Sports Councillor thanked the close collaboration of the club executives and technical bodies who accepted the invitation to participate in this historic San Ginés Football Tournament.
She further acknowledged the Interinsular Football Federation of Las Palmas, the Uco Arrocha Seminar, UD Lanzarote, the Referees Committee, the Insular Sports Service, the Tourism Centres, insular sports advisor Juan Monzón, and the Lanzarote Promotion Society, led by its CEO, Héctor Fernández, for their support of the San Ginés Tournament.
A Tribute to Guayo Rodríguez
During this gathering, which began on Friday night after 10:30 PM, Antonio Brito, a representative of the Uco Arrocha Seminar, made a poignant tribute, joined by the Arrecife City Council, to the recently deceased Guayo Rodríguez Caraballo, a close collaborator of the sports clubs. His family, present in the room, received a standing ovation from those in attendance, along with memorial tokens presented by the Arrecife City Council, the Uco Arrocha Seminar, and UD Lanzarote.
