Atletico Madrid Bans 9 Fans for Life Due to Racism and Violence Amid Derby Controversy

Atletico Madrid, the fourth biggest Spanish football club, has banned 9 of its fans from attending matches for life, due to incidents of rioting and racist behaviour, it said on Friday.

The match between Atletico and host Real Madrid in the capital’s derby on September 29 at the Metropolitano Stadium was abandoned after several fans threw a group of objects, including lights, throw on the field.

Atletico have been fined by European Football Association (UEFA) after some of their fans were found guilty of “racist and discriminatory behaviour” during their 4-0 loss to Portugal’s Benfica on October 2 in the Champions League.

“Our security department worked to identify those involved in these incidents by reviewing all available audio and visual material in collaboration with the police,” said Atletico in statement.

He said, “This process culminated in the permanent ban of 9 fans, due to actions that were considered very dangerous according to the club’s internal protocol.

He continued, “We reiterate our strong condemnation of violence of any kind and our commitment to combat this behavior which has no place in football, which does not represent the general feeling of our fans, and damaging the image of Atletico Madrid.

Club Capital was punished by closing part of its stadium for 3 games after the match with Real Madrid, by the local federation, but it was reduced to one game after the appeal.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois complains to the referee about the projectiles that Atletico (French) fans threw at him.

Last month, police announced the arrest of 4 people suspected of inciting an online hate campaign targeting Brazilian Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior before the match.

Police said the campaign, which spread on social media, encouraged Atletico fans to come to the stadium wearing masks to stop attempts to celebrate them, while chanting “insulting insults is discrimination of a racial nature.”

Atletico also announced that they had added to their internal rules “a ban on using anything that hides the face to hide identity inside the stadium. “