17 fans banned from Real Madrid

Posted Monday, December 08, 2014 by Marca.com

Real Madrid have reacted swiftly to a report from the LFP (Professional Football League) in banning 17 Real supporters who, during yesterday's league game against Celta de Vigo, were singing offensive songs about Lionel Messi and about Catalonia. The LFP will be reporting the events to the Anti-Violence Commission.

In the initiative which has been launched to bring an end to violence in Spanish football, the LFP, which confirmed to the news agency EFE the expulsion of the Real Madrid supporters, plans to report to the Anti-Violence Commission every Thursday on offensive chants and singing, based on information sent by people working at the grounds, or picked up from televised games.

The first incidents to be reported on took place at the Santiago Bernabéu where chants referring to Messi as "subnormal" and about "bloody Catalonia" were heard coming from the stands, and also at the Vallecas stadium where on Sunday morning during the match between Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla, there were insults shouted about Atlético de Madrid and the president of the LFP, Javier Tebas.

This week the CSD (Higher Sports Council) the RFEF (Spanish Royal Federation of Football) and the LFP agreed to apply economic sanctions against verbal aggression, and to tighten the noose on the clubs' extremist supporters (ultras) asking clubs for their full names to pass to the police whenever an incident occurs.

Sources at the LFP confirmed to EFE that the report will be passed to the anti Violence Commission if a mention of the insults does not appear in the official documents of the match referees.