Engonga calls on fickle fans

Reial Mallorca's veteran midfielder Vicente Engonga yesterday called on the club's fans to help the team stay in the top flight. Mallorca, 13th in the league but only two points above bottom place, need all the support they can get as they face fellow strugglers Real Sociedad on Sunday and Engonga knows that how the fans react will play an important part in the outcome of the match. Local fans are generally seen as extremely fickle and have been known on more than one occasion to jeer their own players. “I don't want to criticise our fans, because they have a distinct character of their own that is hard to change,” said the 36 year-old. “Last season (with Luis Aragones as manager) the fans really got behind us, but that was only when we started winning. Right now we need fans like at other clubs who are with their team until the death.” Mallorca striker Samuel Eto'o failed to show up for training yesterday morning, but officials were expecting him to return from Cameroon late last night after flying to his homeland on Sunday for family reasons. Albert Luque, meanwhile, has gastroenteritis and is again doubtful for Sunday's match.