Source: REUTERS/Juan Medina
[Saba Sports News] According to Spanish media reports, Atletico Madrid has permanently expelled nine members involved in misconduct during the Madrid derby on September 29 after a month-long investigation. These members were punished for violating the club’s internal regulations regarding serious misconduct. During the investigation, the club’s security department worked closely with the police to review all relevant audiovisual materials in detail. To strengthen management, the club has introduced new regulations prohibiting items that cover faces from being used inside the stadium. During the investigation period, the club also suspended ticket sales for away matches to members in the cheerleading stand area for several matches including Sevilla and Paris. The penalties stemmed from two incidents: one involved fans in the south stand throwing objects at Thibaut Courtois during the derby against Real Madrid, resulting in part of the stadium being closed for one match and a fine of 65,000 euros; the other involved alleged racist behavior during a match in Lisbon that led to UEFA imposing a fine of 30,000 euros on the club and conditionally banning ticket sales for one Champions League away match. With the investigation concluded, the club announced it would restore ticket sales for away matches to members in the cheerleading stand area and optimize the ticket application process with new regulations including a 24-hour application deadline and a 48-hour payment allocation time.00