Betis president backs coach after woeful run

Real Betis president Miguel Guillen has backed coach Pepe Mel after the Seville-based club crashed to a ninth defeat in 10 La Liga matches on Sunday and slipped to 16th in the standings.Betis, one of many Spanish clubs under extreme financial pressure, won their first four matches of the season but have only taken one point from a possible 30 since.They conceded deep into stoppage time to lose 2-1 at Osasuna on Sunday and have 13 points from 14 games."Whatever happens Pepe Mel is our coach," Guillen, who has complained about the club's rotten luck, was quoted as saying on the Betis website (www.realbetisbalompie.es) on Monday."He has the complete confidence of the club and the players and will remain our coach," Guillen added. "The way we are playing we deserve a lot more points than we have."Betis's next match is at home to third-placed Valencia on Saturday.