Five Anderlecht ultras arrested, Erzainza accused in the stands of Anoeta and disagreements with UEFA
The first European match day in the home of the elite Basque teams, which led to special security measures being taken as three matches coincided at the same time, ended with the arrests of Anderlecht ultras in Anoeta, without incident in San Mamés and the intervention of Ertzaintza. in the stands of the Fernando Buesa Arena pavilion in Vitoria. Matches between Real Sociedad and Athletic, who compete in the men’s Europa League, and Baskonia (EuroLeague in basketball) are scheduled to take place simultaneously in January, and there will also be a day in November that the first two will share. .
The biggest problems took place in Donostia. Real Sociedad and Anderlecht, a club from the dormitory city of Brussels, were playing. 1,200 fans arrived, of which 300 were considered ultras. In the previous days, preventive measures were taken, such as restricting traffic and even closing schools. Finally, the incidents concentrated inside the stadium. Radicals smashed the methacrylate of their stands and threw chairs and other objects onto the lower floors. The match, which ended in defeat for the San Sebastian team, had to be interrupted for several minutes after about 30 minutes of the first half had been played.
Ertzaintza’s sources point to the arrest of five people from this group of Anderlecht fans. The Mobile Brigade, a public order unit, was forced to intervene in the stands to contain the situation. Three were arrested for disturbing the peace, one for assaulting law enforcement officers and the fifth for causing damage and resisting. Local fans under the spectator stands had to leave their seats, and Anderlecht players Colin Koosemans and Theo Leoni tried to calm the situation.
Late in the evening the club issued a statement condemning the incident. “Real Sociedad strongly condemns the new attack suffered by our fans in our home and wants to show solidarity with all royalist fans affected this afternoon in the match against Anderlecht.” The club would like to inform you that it has requested a meeting with UEFA to ensure that today’s events are the last that our fans will have to endure,” the organization wrote. According to police sources, in the early hours of the morning, four of these people remained in police stations awaiting prosecution .
No incidents were reported in Bilbao. Athletic beat the Dutch AZ Alkmaar. On the contrary, in the Euroleague match held in Vitoria, there were moments of tension among the fans of Partizan Belgrade. Something extraordinary happened: the civil security units of the Basque police had to enter the stands to pick up the Serbian fans. Sources interviewed confirm the “expulsion” of one of them for repeatedly uttering insults. The presence of private security agents was also very noticeable at two points where fans of the visiting team were concentrated. The match ended in victory for Baskonia.