Atleti face 15-day stadium ban for derby chaos

Atleti face 15-day stadium ban for derby chaos

Spain’s Anti-Violence Commission has proposed a two-week total closure of Atlético Madrid‘s Metropolitano stadium, and a €65,000 fine ($70,900), as punishment for the incidents which saw last month’s derby with Real Madrid suspended, after fans threw objects onto the pitch.

The LaLiga game, which ended in a 1-1 draw, was halted for over 15 minutes on Sept. 29 after lighters and plastic bottles were thrown from behind one of the goals, not long after Real Madrid had taken a 1-0 lead.

Atlético have already been hit with a three-game closure of the Metropoliano’s south stand by the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee, which the club has since appealed.

On Tuesday, Spain’s Supreme Sports Council confirmed to ESPN that another body, the State Committee against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport, had proposed a two-week total stadium closure.

The anti-violence committee first met on Sept. 30 to consider the matter, saying that “severe penalties” should be expected given the “serious” nature of the incident.

The committee’s proposal will now be passed onto the Interior Ministry for a verdict, which could then be subject to appeal.

Atlético have already acted to ban four fans identified as having taken part in the throwing of objects during the derby.

The club has condemned the behaviour, and said it was appealing the three-game partial ban to protect the majority of fans, who were not involved.