Miguel Ángel Gil: "It's everyone's problem, and we need to solve it together"
Our CEO considers the behaviour of a minority unacceptable and believes it should not tarnish the image of the thousands of Atlético fans. He assures that the club will continue to fight against such attitudes but calls on the authorities for help in expelling those responsible.
The Anti-Violence Commission has proposed the closure of our stadium for a period of two weeks and a fine of 65,000 euros due to the incidents that occurred during the match against Real Madrid on Sunday 29th September. Atlético de Madrid considers this proposed sanction completely disproportionate, as it seeks to punish 70,000 people for the unjustifiable behaviour of a few.
Since the incidents occurred, the club’s Security Department has worked on identifying those involved, four of whom have already been permanently expelled as club members. The identification process for more individuals is ongoing, and they will face the same punishment as the four already mentioned.
In light of the serious accusations made in recent days regarding the club's handling of the situation, our CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil, has spoken out: "I don’t intend to justify the behaviour of a small minority that does not represent Atlético de Madrid fans or the values of the club. We are clear that their behaviour is unacceptable—we don’t want them here. We are tired of repeating that we fight against violence and racism, but the truth is that we are doing just that. We have been pursuing these behaviours for years and expelling those responsible. Our commitment is to continue doing so with the help of anyone who wants to support us. Unfortunately, it’s not just our problem—it exists in our society, though some people want to focus exclusively on us. It's everyone's problem, and we need to solve it together."
He emphasised that these attitudes "cannot tarnish the image of a fan base made up of thousands of supporters who behave with respect and cheer for their team in an exemplary way. It’s intolerable that our fans are being disrespected by being associated with the bad behaviour of a minority."
Miguel Ángel Gil stated firmly: "We are tired of the populist and demagogic use of these incidents. Sports justice should not be politicised. Some truths, half-truths, and many lies have been said. Since that Sunday, everyone has had an opinion about what happened in our stadium, even though, unfortunately, there have been widespread incidents in other stadiums and cities."
"We need information to act against the violent individuals and permanently expel them from the club," says our CEO. "As of today, we have identified four members on our own who have been permanently expelled. The sanction proposal mentions six identified individuals and twenty suspects under investigation, none of whom we have received any information about from the police. It’s impossible for us to act like this. Hopefully, they will provide us with the identities of those 26 individuals so we can proceed in the same way as with the four expelled. But we need information; we need help."
This closure proposal comes just days after the Spanish Football Federation’s Competition Committee announced a sanction to close the lower south stand of the stadium for three matches due to the same incidents. According to the club, "We are being judged in two different instances for the same events. Double jeopardy makes no sense."
