“We express solidarity with the anti-fascists of Donbass”: why Deportivo fans are boycotting the match with Metalist

The Spanish football club Deportivo lost active fan support in the next friendly match.

The Riazor Blues fan association has decided to boycott the team's meeting with Metalist Kharkiv, which will be held as part of the Teresa Herrera Trophy tournament.

Fans reported this on their official Twitter account.

The game will take place on August 13 at the home arena of the Galicians - the Riazor stadium in A Coruña.

The reason for the categorical act of the Spaniards was that the core of the fans of the Ukrainian team supports or even is related to the nationalist formation "Azov" *.

It is believed that the Kharkiv ultra-right group "Sect 82" became the basis for the future national battalion.

In addition, Metalist fans played an important role in the tragic events of May 2, 2014 in Odessa.

Clashes began with the procession of fans, which led to the death of dozens of opponents of the Euromaidan in the House of Trade Unions.

“On Saturday, Deportivo should play in the match for the Teresa Herrera Trophy, but this match will be hypocritical towards the fans.

Our house will be visited by a team whose fans are known for their neo-Nazi orientation and connection with the Azov Battalion, TASS quotes a statement from Riazor Blues.

Community representatives said they deplored the plight of the civilian population, which "had been forced to leave their land", but noted the presence of "very selective solidarity", ignoring the victims of conflicts in other parts of the world and supporting neo-Nazi regimes, at the suggestion of which since 2014 there have been massacres and reprisals.

“We honor the memory of the victims of the conflict in Donbass and express our solidarity with anti-fascists in this territory.

Thus, we declare that we will not be present at the match as a sign of protest,” the Spanish fans emphasized.

The ultras were outraged that the club was trying to drag them into the political agenda, using the traditional tournament, which has been held since 1946, for this.

In addition, Riazor Blues do not approve of the fact that the funds raised from ticket sales will be transferred to the Galician Association for Assistance to Ukraine, which has recently actively supported censorship in the region and, in particular, demanded that the concert of the Serbian director and composer Emir Kusturica be cancelled.

The Riazor Blues also consider it a "real shame" that football is used primarily to support the inhabitants of another state, when the region itself was seriously damaged by fires this summer. 

The club did not comment on the statement of the group of fans.

According to State Duma deputy Dmitry Svishchev, the decision of the Spanish ultras is quite reasonable, since now you can expect anything from active Ukrainian fans, including various provocations.

“Unfortunately, we all know very well that many movements, including Nazi ones, often developed among the fans, since they are easiest to cultivate there.

And I understand Deportivo fans who are afraid to go to the stadium, where there will also be Metalist fans in the stands.

Meeting them can simply become dangerous.

Today, unfortunately, very often very bad ideas and deeds are hidden under beautiful slogans, ”said the interlocutor of RT.

Another Azov-related scandal erupted in mid-June in Hungary at the Gergej Bornemissa Memorial Junior Boxing Tournament.

One of the winners of the competition, Ukrainian Diana Petrenko, unfurled the national flag with the symbols of the nationalist formation on it at the awards ceremony.

The girl was repeatedly asked to remove the cloth, but she ignored the comments.

As it turned out later, the athlete is training under the guidance of one of the Azov commanders, Dmitry Kukharchuk.

The incident, unfortunately, went unnoticed by both the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the European Confederation (EUBC).

“If she believes that Azov is good and something to be proud of, then this is very sad.

This cannot be supported.

Or she’s just a supporter of Nazism, then there’s nothing to talk about, ”State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova commented then on the Ukrainian woman’s act.

* "Azov" - the organization was recognized as a terrorist organization by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 08/02/2022.