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21 arrested after fight causes death of football fan in Spain

02 December 2014 17:56 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A total of 21 people have so far been arrested on Tuesday and a further 100 reportedly identified by police following Sunday's fight between radical supporters of Atletico Madrid and Deportivo la Coruna, which left one man dead, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Over 200 people took part in an incident which has shocked Spanish football, as 43-year-old Jose Ramon Taboarda died after being beaten and then thrown into the River Manzanares by members of the Frente Atletico, a group of Atletico Madrid fans with a long history of violence.

Both Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna presidents moved quickly to distance themselves from the incident or any responsibility.

Atletico President Enrique Cerezo attracted widespread criticism for his declaration in which he said his club had nothing to do with an incident "which has taken place far from the stadium and far from what is a game of football."

This is the second fatal incident which can be attributed to members of the Frente Atletico after the fatal stabbing of Real Sociedad fan Aitor Zabaleta in 1998. Despite this, Atletico General Director Miguel Angel Gil commented on Sunday, "I'm not the person who has to dissolve the Frente Atletico."

Sunday's incident, in which 11 people were also injured, three with stab wounds, opened a rift between the Spanish Football League and the Spanish Football Federation, with the League claiming they wanted the match, (which ended in a 2-0 win for Atletico) suspended.

Police and regional authorities in Madrid have also come in for criticism for failing to react in time to a fight which had apparently been pre-arranged over social network sites by those involved, while the decision to classify the encounter as "low risk" has also been questioned.

This decision meant that only 60 policemen were designated on duty to cover the match.

Out of the 21 people arrested, six have prior convictions. They will face a judge, while the Spanish Anti-Violence Committee will meet to consider what actions to take and what, if any sanctions, to impose on the clubs.