Ook in Spanje was het gezellig.
quote:
Bolton complain over Spain police
Bolton have met police and Uefa officials in Spain to discuss the treatment of their fans at Thursday's 0-0 Uefa Cup draw with Atletico Madrid. The Premier League club says supporters were subjected to "overzealous and disproportionate" policing before, during and after the match. They allege fans faced a number of assaults and unprovoked baton charges.
Chairman Phil Gartside said he would take the issue to the "highest level" to get an explanation.
Uefa, European football's governing body, is waiting to receive the report of match delegate Odd Flattum and the security officer before deciding whether to take action against the La Liga club.
Spanish police said the problems, which saw 17 away supporters injured, were "just the usual at any football game" and refused to respond to Bolton's allegations. Greater Manchester Police (GMP), whose Chief Superintendent David Lea was in the Vicente Calderon stadium, insists Bolton fans were not at fault and has pledged to help the club compile a report to Uefa.
A club statement read: "The directors of Bolton are upset and disturbed at the apparent over-zealous and disproportionate actions of the Spanish police towards our supporters. The club's fans were subjected to a number of assaults and unprovoked baton charges before, during, and after the game, in addition to the aggressive use of police horses to manoeuvre fans towards the stadium. Bolton supporters have an impeccable reputation and an excellent record of good behaviour when travelling abroad to European matches, and the club believes the actions of the Madrid police are entirely unacceptable."
BBC Sport's Ian Brown, who was commentating at the match, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I saw three little pockets of trouble. But I did not see anything as serious as has been described.
"The first trouble I saw was from the Atletico end involving supporters from within that club. Then I saw a minor problem with Bolton supporters and the police were involved. At the end there was another incident with Bolton fans, some seats were displaced there and there was police involvement. I'm not sure who was responsible for throwing the seats around but the police do tend to respond quite quickly when something like that happens at a Spanish football ground."
James Kirk, one of an estimated 3,500 Bolton fans in Madrid, said: "We came out of the stadium and just as we came down loads of police with shields and batons rushed back just where we'd come from. They were battering people to the ground - it was absolutely brutal and appalling. I've been to Spain many, many times but I tell you I don't want to go again."
Gartside added: "I have great sympathy for any of our supporters who have been injured by what is clearly an overreaction by the Spanish police. Bolton Wanderers Football Club will be pursuing the matter at the highest level and seeking an explanation from the Spanish authorities."
Ch Supt Lea said the problems started when police baton charged hundreds of Madrid fans out of the stadium.
"That incident has probably set the tone for the policing of the whole match and unfortunately the Madrid police have a reputation for not taking dissent very well," he said. The police chief said a number of sporadic incidents followed which resulted in police being "very heavy-handed" with the Bolton fans, and he blamed senior officers for the problems.
"They didn't have enough control over their junior officers who were far too quick to use their batons rather than talking to the fans who would comply with their instructions. Lessons need to be learned and I will make sure that my observations will be captured in a full report for the Uefa security investigation that I know is going to be forthcoming," he added.
The result of the match meant Bolton won the tie 1-0 on aggregate to reach the last-16 where they will play Sporting Lisbon. Before their Uefa Cup match against Red Star Belgrade in December, Bolton fans were detained at a hotel in the Serbian capital. Local police acted amid security fears after trouble involving Red Star supporters the previous weekend.
Last April, a number of Tottenham fans were injured at their Uefa Cup tie in Seville in violent clashes with Spanish riot police.