Real Madrid had to suffer various jibes by Diego Simeone in the lead up to the Madrid derby on Sunday night, as he compared the atmosphere to that which they experienced in Saudi Arabia, even if it was in part frustration at the partisan nature of the crowd in the Spanish Supercup. However it is true that the Santiago Bernabeu was silent for 15 minutes of the second half.
The reason being, a fight between the fans in the singing section. Former Ultra Sur member Carlos Clara, who is now the head of ‘La Clasica’ group, was arrested after a fight broke out in the stands with the ‘Grada Fans’ group. The Ultra Sur group have been banned from the Bernabeu, due to violence and racism in the past, while the active members maintain links to the far right, and promote Nazi symbolism. Clara himself currently has a pending court case over a previous assault on another fan.
In addition to his arrest, 10 fans were also kicked out of the stadium, one fan received stitches for a cut above their eyebrow. The microphone leader of the chants even asked fans of other groups to leave the Bernabeu in protest at their detention, although this did not come to pass. The silence was maintained until the hour-mark though. Relevo say that the Grada Fans defended their innocence placing the blame on rival fans causing all of the trouble.
Some even suggested that Real Madrid’s tifo at the start of the game, which ripped and failed to unfurl properly, was an act of deliberate sabotage by detractors in the various supporters clubs. However that theory was debunked by the Madrid-based outlet, who say it was caught on one part of the barriers.
