Real Madrid has banned 17 fans after a group of supporters sang offensive chants about Leo Messi and Barcelona in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Celta Vigo.
The 17 people will be banned from the stadium and the club, Los Blancos said in a statement. Other supporters who sit in the Grada de Animacion at the Santiago Bernabeu have been warned to take caution over what they sing as offensive chanting will lead to more bans.
Clubs in Spain, along with the LFP and the RFEF are cracking down on fan behaviour following the death of a Deportivo la Coruna supporter last weekend. He died following violence between Depor fans and Atletico de Madrid supporters in the Spanish capital ahead of their La LIga clash.
Speaking to the press after watching his side defeat Espanyol 5-1, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique hailed the decision to ban the fans, but said more needs to be done overall to stamp out violent and offensive behaviour.
“Only 17? It sounds good to me, as does any anti-violence initiative, but it’s unrealistic. If we begin to kick fans out for insults, we’ll be on our own,” he told reporters.
“We’re welcome to any anti-violence initiatives. Not that it seems far-fetched, but I don’t know where to draw the line. We are a country that has a culture of living with passion, enthusiasm … I wish there weren’t any insults here, but I see it as almost utopian.”
The decision took by the club has a rectitude and it is a warning to other who are in the same habit. Madridista are people with great integrity and good reputation. The act of those 17 fans was disgusting and unprecedented, so they need to be punish.