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Valencia fans plan peaceful protest against owner Peter Lim

Valencia fans will protest against owner Peter Lim's running of the club ahead of Saturday's home game against Sporting Gijon and will hand out 996 whistles to disenchanted supporters.

Los Che are 13th in La Liga with eight wins from 26 games heading into this weekend's encounter.

A group of fans that have named the initiative "Por nuestro Valencia" (For our Valencia) has called for other supporters to join in the peaceful demonstration.

They posted a letter on their Twitter account, which said: "Valencia is still not reacting, it's without a project, without ideas, and worst of all, they are hiding, without showing their faces. We cannot allow again for the image of this club to be disgraced.

"We cannot look the other way!

"We will hand a whistle to all those that don't feel represented by a club's board that ignores us and underestimates us."

Valencia, founded in 1919, fell under foreign ownership for the first time in their history on Oct. 2014 when Singaporean businessman Lim acquired 70 percent of the shares.

Valencia fans had hoped Lim's purchase of the then debt-ridden club would bring in another successful era for a side that won La Liga and the UEFA Cup in 2004 and was twice Champions League runners up, in 1999-00 and 2000-01.

Lim has reportedly not visited Valencia since April 2016.

The six-time La Liga champions, who finished 12th last season, have struggled on the pitch this campaign, one that has seen the club have three head coaches.

Club delegate Voro Gonzalez will serve as coach for the remainder of the campaign.

Voro had taken temporary charge of the club after Cesare Prandelli's resignation in December.

Prandelli replaced Pako Ayesteran in September, but the former Italy boss was in charge for just eight league games and won only his first.

Club president Chan Lay Hoon apologised to the fans during her Christmas address for a dismal year and expressed her hope the team could turn the corner in 2017.

However, Valencia fans gathered outside the Mestalla stadium on Jan. 3 prior to the team's first game of the year calling for Lim "to get out."

Valencia sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch, who had come under fire for his transfer policy last summer, with Shkodran Mustafi, Andre Gomes, Paco Alcacer and Alvaro Negredo among the big names to depart the Mestalla stadium, resigned in January.

Valencia recently appointed Jose Ramon Alesanco as the full-time sporting director and he said the club's priority is to bring stability.

He said: "The sporting structure is going to be powerful and permanent, that is what we will work for. We don't want the structure to be altered even if people change in the future.

"We need to create a short-term, medium and long term structure to see the things that need doing."