Atletico stadium ban

[Red Chilli]

Spanish Radio reporting that the game will be played at the Camp Nou.

cool!

[Kenneth]

UEFA have not thought this through at all. What's very likely to happen now is that all independently travelling Liverpool fans will now fly to Madrid anyway and try to arrange transport to whereever the game is going to be held.

Well guess who else is going to be trying to arrange travel too? That's right. All the Atletico fans in their tens of thousands. And all these travelling fans are now going to have to be policed.

Those that are unable to arrange transport to the match may well choose to stay in Madrid and watch the game in the bars. Meaning an appreciable number of fans are going to be mixing with local fans in Madrid anyway. But they won't be policed in the same way as they would have been.

We all know most fans are friendly enough and we do have a kind of relationship with our opponents. But it only takes one dickhead to cause trouble.

Not the best example of joined up thinking by UEFA.

You're not just a pretty face

[pondus]

Spanish Radio reporting that the game will be played at the Camp Nou.

2-1 victory then

[leftpeg]

And an extra 40,000 seats?

[Craig_H]

At this stage, the Camp Nou stuff is just speculation.

If it happens, the extra seats wont be ticketed.

[JohnDoe]

UEFA in screwing Liverpool fans shocker.

[Pablo]

Just a little update on the Spanish point of view in all this. They are reporting that the trouble all started because of a racist and voilent banner that was unfurled in the Marseille end. The police saw it and requested that it be taken down immediately. The Marseille fans refused and fighting ensued. Now UEFA report that the police were overly brutal but apparently footage shows the Marseille fans ripping up seats etc to throw at police.

Just interesting to hear the two different sides of the arguement. I know for a fact that Marseille fans are no angels and I am sure they should have been puished in all this too.

The video can be seen here: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/1...224024147.html

The Spanish government and the police are also blaming the "Ultras", a fantic group of Marseille fans, for most of the violence: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=z9ZRIlkz4TM

[Fubar]

does anyone else feel that uefa will have to backtrack and allow the game to played as normal. the video shows the marseille fans being aggressive ******s (you could say courage that their national army could have done with a few times in the past) but with everything around this game i just couldnt see nay problems. double the fine they have to pay then tell them if there is any trouble at all then they will be thrown out of the competition. then fine the ****ing arses off the french ****s

[Tee]

Atletico's position on the matter:

POSITION OF CLUB ATLÉTICO MADRID, S.A.D.

Regardless of the fact that the Club is going to defend its rights by means of the filing of the corresponding appeal, it considers it necessary to put forward its position against the decision made by U.E.F.A., both to its supporters as well as to the public opinion.

In this sense, the Club feels that the sanctions imposed are completely unfair and disproportionate for the following reasons:

1º.- With respect to the action of the police, the Club can only state that following instructions from U.E.F.A. itself, regarding what symbols can and cannot be shown by the fans in our stadium, the Club’s private security service conciliatorily suggested the removal of a banner with symbols identified by U.E.F.A. as prohibited, and found a belligerent attitude demonstrated by some of the fans of the opposing team. The already known circumstance of the National Police arose as a result of said situation.

From that moment on the members of the National Police themselves were the ones who tried to remove said banner in a first instance, and in a peaceful manner, to which the fans responded in the same way that they did to the Club’s private security team, and even assaulted a policeman, which led to a police charge against the abovementioned supporters.

2º.- Concerning the accusation of racist insults, the Club would like to state that at no time were insults of racist or xenophobic character directed at any Olympique de Marseille player, as supported by the video of the match and in the record given by the U.E.F.A. delegate himself.

The chants denounced by the members of the French side may possibly correspond to the chants that the supporters of Club Atlético Madrid, S.A.D. sing in order to cheer on their team and their player Kun Agüero, repeating over-and-over again the sound ‘Kun, Kun, Kun’, a circumstance that may have caused the French players to confuse said sound with that made by monkeys.

In any case, it must be recorded that Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. has no prior record with U.E.F.A. for equal or similar acts to those set out in the ban.

3º.- In reference to the action attributed to our head coach, Mr. Javier Aguirre, for which he has been suspended for hurling insults at the players of the opposing team, the above-referenced circumstance did not take place at any time, as is made quite clear in the report of the delegates designated to the match and from the 4th referee, who, at no time, mentioned such circumstances in his report.

4º.- Lastly, and with regard to the relocation of the handicapped fans, it is true that they were relocated, but it was done at the request of the Security Delegate with the aim of improving their visibility and for their own safety.

[Pablo]

Cool I think that was the article I tried to roughly summarise earlier with my slightly dodgy command of Spanish

Cant really argue with Ateltico on this, from everything I have read I think UEFA have gotten it wrong again.

[Deano73]

It’s so simple to deal with this. If racist chants are heard at a game then the first punishment should be 3 matches played with away fans only plus a fine big enough to hurt the club/country and is spent on the Kick it Out campaign. If they’re heard again, the club is kicked out of the tournament. Simple as.

Both FIFA and UEFA have been utterly contemptuous in their dealings with racism and football fans. They are both an absolute disgrace.

[Tee]

It’s so simple to deal with this. If racist chants are heard at a game then the first punishment should be 3 matches played with away fans only plus a fine big enough to hurt the club/country and is spent on the Kick it Out campaign. If they’re heard again, the club is kicked out of the tournament. Simple as.

Both FIFA and UEFA have been utterly contemptuous in their dealings with racism and football fans. They are both an absolute disgrace.

I agree... "This is an outrage!"

[Deano73]

I agree... "This is an outrage!"

[Craig_H]

Reports coming out of Spain this evening, that Uefa have backed down and postponed the stadium ban, meaning the game will now once again take place at the Estadio Vicente Calderon.

[Shaggy]

Great.

So Nando has his dream return realised before being snatched away at almost precisely the same time by another ****ing injury.

Great news for our travelling support but a kick in gonads for Nando.