The derby of shame

The Seville derby that threatened to be a football party ended up being an embarrassment. Betis and Sevilla settled a duel of intensity and courage until a fan threw a stick from the Gol Sur stands that hit Joan Jordán on the head. There was the hint of a football party turned into absolute embarrassment. De Burgos Bengoetxea decided to stop the game while the Sevilla midfielder was treated by the medical services. Another chapter of attack against the show in a Seville derby.

The event came before the break and just after Nabil Fekir put the 1-1 on the scoreboard with a direct corner goal in front of that same Gol Sur stand. The protocols activated. The referee sent the players to the locker room and Villamarín himself reacted by criticizing the behavior of the fans for what happened. There was a waiting time that foreshadowed what ended up being official minutes later. The Royal Spanish Football Federation announced that the clash of the round of 16 of the Cup was suspended with a clear message: “The RFEF condemns all kinds of violence on the playing fields”. The Betis players jumped back onto the pitch to say goodbye to their fans while doubts about what was happening with the tie multiplied. The film ended with the worst possible image when everything on the pitch was destined for a new sporting rivalry show in Seville. The battle of discussions continued in the stands due to the condemnation of the majority of fans of this behavior violent that, again, broke any invitation to the show. A new night to forget.

Betis and Sevilla waited. Football was already broken. Violence once again marked a football match whose destiny was already the least important. It had been conditioned by a fan who threw a stick on the grass to try to impose his law. An unfortunate aggression that will deliver a second chapter to a tie that should not have it. The clash had begun under the unpredictable condition of COVID and ended with violence as an unwelcome guest. The precise shot of Papu Gómez or the genius of Nabil Fekir were of little use. What happened minutes before on the field, with a draw on the scoreboard, has been forgotten since that 39th minute.

After that, a race for the location by the police of the person responsible for launching the target also began in parallel. A handful of conversations between the Spanish Federation and LaLiga also entered the scene to try to find a date for the shock. All this while Joan Jordán was transferred to the hospital to have his physical condition checked. Both Betis and Sevilla wanted to remain cautious after the duel was suspended. The communiqués were delayed and some player tried to send a message about what happened, such as the Betis Víctor Camarasa or Juan Miranda, who insisted on condemning that violent act and warning that Sevilla never wanted to continue playing this duel. A derby of shame that once again strips the dark side of football and leaves what should have been a party in the air.