After reports via Twitter of Liverpool fans experiencing trouble with security forces in Sevilla on Tuesday evening, the club released the following statement:
‘Following detailed and troubling accounts given by Liverpool supporters attending the match against Sevilla last night, the club is seeking to establish the facts regarding their treatment at the hands of the host stewards and local police force.
The safety and security of our supporters is our paramount concern and we intend to gather all the relevant information before responding further.’
The claims have quickly made their way to Seville and the forces in charge of security around the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium have had their say.
A source has told local newspaper Estadio Deportivo that “three English policemen” were watching over the security arrangements at the entrances used by travelling fans, along with “the security director of Liverpool and seven auxiliaries”. The source went on to say “there was no complaint or reason for it, about access to the stadium.”
The Spanish article is accompanied by an image of clearly very happy Liverpool fans inside the stadium.
Travelling without tickets was stated as ‘usual’ for English fans, and there’s more often than not a negative attitude ahead of fans travelling to Spain. Very often the reports are ignorant and unjustified, and the Spanish media like to dismiss English travelling fans as hooligans.
Sevilla fans welcomed their team to the ground on Tuesday by lining a road and holding flares (see above). It looked very atmospheric, but if similar had been done by Liverpool fans there’d have been a completely different reaction locally, and likely by the Spanish authorities.
The regional Seville media taking the side of Liverpool fans against the security forces would be unlikely. Previously in Spain, when there’s even been photographs and video of forces wading in with disproportionate force, it’s the fans who ended up on the negative end of stories.
