Rodríguez Uribes: “I hope the sanctions imposed will serve as a deterrent.
The Minister of Education, Vocational Training, Sports, and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, has announced that the Permanent Commission against Violence in Sports will propose a “strong and severe” sanction for the incidents that occurred last Sunday at the Metropolitano Stadium, where several Atlético de Madrid ultras threw objects onto the pitch, forcing the derby against Real Madrid to be halted.
“Just yesterday, the Permanent Commission against Violence in Sports met to address this issue, and the sanction that will be proposed will be strong and severe,” the government’s spokesperson emphasized at the press conference following the Council of Ministers.
According to the spokesperson, the meeting included representatives from the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the Higher Sports Council, and the Ministry of the Interior, along with the Civil Guard and National Police.
In this context, Alegría also demanded greater “involvement” from clubs and federations to prevent such incidents from occurring, similar to those that took place in last Sunday’s derby, which necessitated the stoppage of the match.
In any case, the government is awaiting details from the State Security Forces regarding what happened last Sunday, although it has reiterated that the response will be “absolutely strong and severe.”
The incidents that occurred last Sunday directly undermine the excellent image that we have of Spanish football and, of course, also of its fans,” the spokesperson denounced.
Nevertheless, Pilar Alegría communicated the need for collaboration with clubs, La Liga, and the federations to ensure that violence in stadiums is pursued “until its absolute eradication.”
The president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, stated that he hopes the sanctions imposed for the object-throwing incident in the Atlético de Madrid vs. Real Madrid match “will serve as an example to eradicate this once and for all from football fields and sports venues.”
“Sport is incompatible with violence; it embodies values, respect for the opponent and teammates, it is about fair play, and what happened on Sunday is incompatible with that. I am convinced that Atlético de Madrid is cooperating because they too are victims of the harm caused by a minority that damages football and sport in general,” he affirmed.
Rodríguez Uribes recalled that the Anti-Violence Commission, which includes the Civil Guard, police, and La Liga, met urgently, and it is responsible for “determining decisions regarding sanctions for serious incidents and reviewing the evidence and proof that will inform the appropriate measures to be taken.”
“We have been doing things well in this area for many years; therefore, we cannot afford to take any steps back. Since the Sports Law of 1990, significant efforts have been made to expel ultras from football fields; we must be intolerant of intolerance and violence, and we are all on board with that,” added the CSD president before inaugurating a congress on the professional careers of elite athletes, their contributions, and retirement.
