Tom PowellSPAIN’S Anti-Violence Commission has recommended that Villarreal football club are fined €4,000, after a fan threw a smoke bomb onto the pitch during a game last weekend.
The La Liga match with Celta Vigo was suspended for 20 minutes while players were led from the pitch, hands over faces, and fans evacuated from the stands.
The teams re-emerged after some confusion to play out the final four minutes of the match, which the visiting Celta Vigo won 2-0.
The Commission released a statement on Thursday recommending the €4,000 fine but praising the ‘great professionalism’ of the security staff in escorting more than 13,000 fans out of the stadium within ‘ten minutes and without incident’.
Following the game, Villarreal club president Fernando Roig condemned the fan’s action and apologised on behalf of the club.
“Such acts do not represent the fans of Villarreal. The club wants to apologise and to acknowledge the work of the security forces in the evacuation,” he said.
