Atlético de Madrid ultras “hijack” the match and make Spanish football blush

An image from another time. A passage from another distant football, still barbaric. The capital derby between Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid which was played at the Metropolitano produced one of the biggest embarrassments that can be remembered in recent times in the elite of Spanish football.

What other presidents and other clubs have dared to stop in time and with courage, see the case of Florentino Pérez inside Real Madrid and Joan Laporta inside Barcelona Football ClubAt Atlético de Madrid, this continues to be a real problem. The ultras continue to circulate freely in the Metropolitano and embarrass an entire base of supporters who feel less identified with them every day.

Yesterday, a group of radicals located at Fonds Sud – the place reserved for Athletic forehead– resumed the match and caused the temporary suspension of one of the most important matches in Spanish football. A group of hooded men, whom the Atlético players almost had to beg to stop their attitude, capable of hijacking a high-level spectacle.

The break film

It was in the 67th minute of play that the fuse was lit. A few moments earlier, Real Madrid had taken the lead thanks to Militao’s goal, which had ignited the spirits in the stands of the Metropolitan.

After receiving insults throughout the match, Thibaut Courtois He celebrated this goal with rage by turning towards the stands for a few seconds. A somewhat provocative gesture from the goalkeeper inflamed the tempers of the southern full-back, nothing that justified what was about to happen.

It is in this area of ​​the stadium that the Atlético de Madrid ultras are always located. Enrique Cerezo and the management of the mattress club is still not able to stand up to this group of radicals who are tarnishing the image of the club, so all kinds of objects began to emerge from this neighborhood which was beginning to fall near Courtois, with a sporting past.

Initially, the goalkeeper collected several of these objects, including mainly lighters and water bottles – some with caps, which is prohibited in sports venues – and showed them to the referee. Busquets Ferrer then went to the group to drop off the objects and gave the order to alert the public address system so that the throwing of objects stopped immediately.

Courtois then went to take a goal kick, but from the back they continued to throw different devices. Without hesitation, the referee stopped the match and sent the players back to the locker room, an embarrassing image for Spanish football that has already traveled around the world.

Simeone justifies it

No less impressive was to see several players from Atletico Madrid I went to the south to speak with members of Front Atlético. Footballers talking face to face with a series of hooded and hooded people who didn’t even dare show their faces for fear of being recognized. An image from another century.

In a match where the players brought the necessary calm so as not to excessively inflame tempers, it was clear that Atlético de Madrid has a serious problem with the ultras. And not just with them, but also with how to confront or resolve the problem.

The words of Cholo Simeone After the match, they fell in surprise and outraged the whole world. A little less than the Argentine coach took it upon himself to justify the embarrassing behavior of the most radical and blamed everything that happened on Thibaut Courtois.

“The people who threw away these lighters, as happened in Bernabéu other times, well, it’s not good, but we protagonists don’t help when we provoke people, and people get angry. We, as protagonists, must seek calm and understand the situations in which we can celebrate the goal, without looking at the stands,” he said, clearly referring to the attitude of Courteous.

The image of Spanish football and La Liga goes back several years after the embarrassment experienced in one of the most important matches and with the greatest international projection. The ultras continue to circulate freely and incivility still reigns in the stands.