The referee in charge of Sunday’s Madrid derby stopped the game midway through the second half after Atletico Madrid fans threw objects onto the pitch shortly after rivals Real Madrid were ahead 1-0.
Eder Militao’s strike in the 64th minute made it a close contest for the visitors, but minutes later Atletico Madrid fans threw objects at Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. A series of lighters were found on the pitch and Courtois threw them before referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer stopped play in the 69th minute.
Announcements were made inside the Wanda Metropolitano warning fans to stop interfering with the game, and match messages were also displayed on screens within the stadium.
As the players made their way towards the tunnel, Atletico Madrid players and staff walked towards the fans, some of whom continued to litter the pitch. Jose Maria Jimenez and Koke were seen pleading with supporters to stop their actions, as was manager Diego Simeone, pointing to their heads as if to suggest fans should think before interfering with play.
The game resumed about 21 minutes after Busquets Ferrer stopped the game, and Atlético equalized through Angel Correa’s goal in the fifth minute of extra time. When play resumed, La Liga issued a statement condemning the disorderly conduct.
“We have zero tolerance for any acts of violence on or off our stadiums,” the league wrote in brief comments shared on social media.
The incident was believed to be the work of ultra group Frente Atletico, according to The Athletic. Four members of the group were indicted in December 2023 for allegedly hanging an effigy of Real Madrid’s Vincius Junior near the club’s training ground earlier that year, and for the racist abuse faced by Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams at the Metropolitano in April this year. was deemed liable. The match against Athletic was also stopped by the referee, and Koke and Jimenez were also seen telling fans to stop their racist abuse. Atlético were banned from the stadium for two games due to the incident.
Many expected disruption in Sunday’s Madrid derby. According to the Associated Press, Atletico fans have launched a campaign to wear masks before matches at the Metropolitan Stadium to avoid violating La Liga’s anti-discrimination policy. The league asked law enforcement to take action before kickoff. Meanwhile, injured Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe was discouraged from attending the game by his club to support his team-mates and watched the game from home, according to L’Equipe.
La Liga policy allows referees to stop matches for disruptive fan behavior, including discriminatory abuse, but Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak told broadcasters in a post-match interview that he did not like that. He also condemned the actions of fans but minimized the impact players could have in stamping out such behavior.
“Things like this happen all the time, not just here. I’m not defending anyone. These things are not right and the referee was right to stop the fight,” he told ESPN. “It’s definitely not a good image for football. It’s sad, but what can we do? In the beginning, we’re on the pitch, we’re on the pitch to play, we give everything for ourselves and we can’t control everything. “In the future, something like this will never happen again and we will only see good football,” he said.
