Most people in the states are willing to draw the line at a certain point, whereas far fewer soccer fans abroad are able to do that. And this video speaks to that.
This is a just released cell phone video of an Atletico Madrid fan being kicked and beaten with a stick by Sevilla supporters before last Saturday's league match. The images, taken on a mobile phone and published on the Internet before being aired on television, show the fan being attacked as he lay bleeding on the ground outside Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
Spanish media reported that a Sevilla fan was also attacked and stabbed in the leg before the match, which Atletico won 2-1, though local police said they had no knowledge of the incident.
There was also a recent incident where Athletic Club Bilbao goalkeeper Armando had to have six stitches for a cut on his face after being hit by a bottle thrown from the stands by a Real Betis fan.
So what have these recent incidents done? Well, they now have a "heightened concern about the level of violence in Spanish football."
That's just fantastic. Violence at Spanish soccer matches has increased in recent seasons with clashes between rival fans and the police and the throwing of objects onto the pitch becoming regular occurrences and authorities are "concerned." Don't jump to any conclusions guys, let's let this play out a little longer.
And in addition to all this, don't expect the teams to help either. Real Betis was fined 9000 Euros for having their fan hit Bilbao goalie Armando Betis and ordered to close their stadium for two matches, but they've made it clear they intend to appeal against the decision.
Way to be guys. Rather than suck it up and come out against the actions of the fan, appeal the fine against your team and try and get that money back. That'll teach fans not to hurl stuff out on the field again.
It's violence like this, and the lack of any kind of progress in curbing it, that often makes soccer particularly unappealing to Americans and prevents us from embracing it. And you know what, I can't blame us for that. It's pretty damn disgusting.
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