The match between UD Almería and Málaga CF, which ended in a 3-2 home victory, left a bitter taste due to altercations recorded in the hours leading up to the game. Despite being declared high-risk by the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance in Sport, the day was marked by controversy.
The high-risk declaration, regulated by Law 19/2007, implies an action protocol that includes measures such as nominal ticket sales, strict security control, and, fundamentally, rigorous separation of fan bases. However, several of these points were not met, leading to the incidents.
Problems began when a group of local fans, who were parading to welcome their team, encountered Málaga CF supporters at the roundabout of the South Stand of the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos. The absence of effective separation between the two groups led to chants and the throwing of objects, despite the presence of families with children.
The most tense moment occurred with the arrest of a local fan by agents of the Police Intervention Unit (UIP). According to club sources, the arrest was due to an assault on an undercover agent. During the struggle, another fan suffered a head injury and was later taken to a hospital for observation.
“"The police action was limited to dispersing that fight and, evidently, to arresting the people who were identified at that moment. Therefore, the police action complies, as I say, with the proportionality used in these specific cases, and I insist that there are videos that support and corroborate this; the blow occurred due to another circumstance that has nothing to do with the action of the National Police."
The Government delegate in Andalusia, in subsequent statements, defended the police action, indicating that the intervention was necessary to disperse a large-scale fight and that the blow suffered by the fan was not caused by the agents. However, eyewitnesses and relatives of the injured person contradict this version, stating that there was no massive fight and that they feared for the fan's life.
Inside the stadium, the situation did not improve, as visiting fans were not exclusively located in their designated sector but dispersed to other areas, especially in the Preferential stand. This circumstance led to friction and confrontations every time a goal was celebrated, demonstrating the lack of compliance with the high-risk protocol both in the vicinity and inside the sports venue.
