The world
Updated Thursday, February 29, 2024-21:26
Several thousand fans have braved the rain that falls on Bilbao since the early afternoon to give a spectacular welcome to Athletic Club upon its arrival at San Mamés to play the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals against Atlético de Madrid , with some moments of tension with objects thrown at Ertzaintza agents.
The format has been different from previous occasions and under a significant deployment of members of the Basque regional police, who have fenced off a security corridor about twenty meters wide up to the façade of the stadium so that the bus with the red and white expedition could travel through there. .
The followers, the vast majority of them young, at a time when the rain has gotten worse, have greeted the arrival of the vehicle with shouts of 'Athletic, Athletic', illuminating the passage with flares and pyrotechnic material that has formed a large cloud of smoke.
After the bus passed, there were some moments of tension when some fans opened the fence and threw objects at the officers who were part of the device in the area and who took refuge inside the stadium.
About twenty minutes after Athletic entered the stadium, less than an hour and a half before the start of the match, Atlético de Madrid arrived at San Mamés escorted by several regional police vehicles, through a different access than usual and without presence of the public after the passage to the rear had been cut off by security.
In the previous hours, in addition, an Atlético de Madrid fan reported an attack.
According to his testimony, a group of Athletic Club ultras entered a restaurant where the Colchoneros fans were and once inside they attacked the fan who had to be taken to the hospital with a head injury.