REAL Sociedad supporters from the Basque country caused chaos when they descended upon Sevilla this weekend for the Copa del Rey final.
More than 26,000 fans made the 1,800 kilometre round trip from San Sebastian for a day that included battles with police, singing terrorist songs and booing the Spanish national anthem.
The big match got off to a bad start on Saturday as riot police clashed with rowdy Real Sociedad fans on the Puente de Triana ahead of kick-off, with cries of ‘f*** Spain’ and ‘f*** the national team’ were heard in the Andalucian capital.
As the players lined up before the match, scores of supporters later booed the Spanish anthem in front of King Felipe as he took his seat at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
The Spanish monarch was seen standing impassively as deafening whistles drowned out the music.
The fans had travelled to the Andalucian capital for the tournament’s final, in which San Sebastian-based Real Sociedad eventually prevailed 3–4 over Atletico Madrid in a penalty shootout.
Just hours earlier, thousands of Real Sociedad fans set up shop in the city centre where they ignored communal statutes against drinking in the streets while singing songs and letting off flares.
Video quickly emerged of fans in the white and blue stripes of Real Sociedad singing what appeared to be songs in of praise the Basque terrorist group ETA.
In footage of the chant, which has since gone viral on social media, they can be heard singing: “Somos la banda de Anoeta, ETA!” (“We are the band from Anoeta [a small town in the Basque Country, near San Sebastián], ETA!”).
ETA stands for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, which translates as Basque Homeland and Freedom.
The video sparked an uproar online, with scores of outraged users interpreting the chant as a reference to the Basque separatist organisation that killed more than 800 people in bombings and assassinations across Spain before announcing a permanent ceasefire in 2011.
According to several reports, Real Sociedad’s official account had posted the video to its social media channels, only to later remove it as users began to voice outrage.
The incidents came after Arnaldo Otegi, secretary general of the Basque nationalist party EH Bildu, called on Real Sociedad fans to use the high-profile sporting occasion to ‘show that we are Basque, not Spanish.’
Otegi also urged supporters to fill the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium with Basque flags, adding that the display should serve as ‘a message to the king,’ according to reports.
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