February 23 – A police officer has died of a heart attack following violent clashes between rival fans before Athletic Bilbao’s home Europa League match against Spartak Moscow on Thursday.
Police in riot gear tried to fight off hundreds of fans outside the San Mames Stadium when a group of Spartak fans reportedly started throwing flares and objects toward Athletic supporters and officers.
The fighting then spread on to the streets near the stadium as fireworks exploded all around. The officer who died was named locally as 51-year-old Inocencio Alonso Garcia who collapsed while intervening in the clashes.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy offered his condolences to the family of the policeman who died and condemned the violence.
In a statement, UEFA said it “strongly condemns the violent clashes which occurred in Bilbao. We are in contact with local authorities to obtain further information on these incidents”.
Although the violence occurred outside the stadium, UEFA will be under pressure to issue some kind of sanction, especially given fears over fan violence at the World Cup in Russia.
Earlier this week, a Russian fan accused causing serious injuries to an English supporter who was left in a coma after rioting at Euro 2016 was arrested at a German airport while in transit en route to Bilbao to watch Thursday’s fixture. He reportedly faces up to 15 years in jail in France for attempted homicide and grievous bodily harm.
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