Play was suspended for 15 minutes three weeks ago during the Madrid derby when Atletico Madrid fans began chanting and throwing objects on the pitch and at Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Atletico were subsequently handed a sanction by the RFEF to close the section of the Metropolitano where the incident occurred for three games and pay a €45,000 fine.
However, the sanction has been reduced by the Appeals Committee which ruled after an appeal by Atletico. The club will now pay €3000 less in fines and have the partial stadium closure for just one game instead of three. Nevertheless, the club is not yet in the clear as the Anti-Violence Committee which has recommended a five-game stadium ban in a separate ongoing investigation.
Atletico owner Miguel Angel Gil Marin has disagreed with the recommendation of the Anti-Violence Committee, describing it as being too harsh. Meanwhile, the club itself has banned fans from the affected section from buying tickets to the next five away games. It has also expelled four fans connected with the incident, handing them all life bans while working on identifying about 20 more culprits to hand them similar sanctions. This is amidst demands across Spain for Atletico to root out far-right elements belonging to a section of its fanbase known as the Frente Atletico.
Atletico manager Diego Simone was critical of the fans’ conduct and spoke in support of handing sanctions to those found culpable. However, he was also critical of Courtois’ gesture, which he said provoked the fans. Courtois had celebrated Eder Militão’s goal which put Madrid ahead by running in front of Atletico fans. Simone’s men earned a draw at the death with Angel Correa’s equalizer in the fifth minute of added time.
