The riot police who beat up Bayern fans at the Bernabéu sued

Four years have passed since that Real Madrid-Bayern Munich at the Bernabéu. The Whites won 4-2 in that round of the Champions League quarter-finals and stayed alive until they ended up lifting the twelfth against Juve, but the clash against the Bavarians was also remembered for non-sporting reasons. Dozens of members of the Police Intervention Units entered the visiting stands and allegedly beat up numerous Bayern fans for no reason. There are videos showing Bavarian fans in blood. They asked for justice. And, four years later, it seems there will be.

This past Wednesday, lawyers for the followers have filed a lawsuit in this regard in Madrid. It is what the German newspaper publishes Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which details that a total of 65 riot police would have to sit before the judge in case the complaint is admitted for processing. Always according Sueddeutsche Zeitung, in the statement of claim five of the 20 fans who left the Bernabéu after having suffered serious injuries such as broken fingers or large open wounds. As detailed in the media, the police forces even attacked a fan with crutches.

“FC Bayern considers that the actions of the Spanish Police were totally inappropriate and excessive. FC Bayern has already filed a complaint with UEFA against the actions of the Spanish Police”, explained the Munich club at the time, yes, without obtaining any result. The German government of Chancellor Angela Merkel was also contacted, but a response was never received from the Spanish institutions. However, lawyers Gonzalo Boye, Spanish, and Marco Noli, German and at the Bernabéu that night, did not lower their arms and continued to fight for the interests of the fans until, finally, filing the lawsuit in Madrid.

“This is a clear attack against the physical integrity of the fans, against their dignity and their fundamental rights”, Boye is quoted in the article. From the point of view of Alexandra Schröder, an expert in police violence against fans, the attitude of the Spanish riot police could be seen to originate in the German language. “It may sound more abrupt to Spanish ears than it really expresses”, Explain. The opinion of Sueddeutsche Zeitung seems to be another. The newspaper concludes its article with a phrase that highlights “the historical legacy of the Franco regime, which is still alive in parts of the Police and the Armed Forces in Spain.”