Fan Dies Following Clash Before Atletico Madrid-Deportivo La Coruña Match

A massive brawl near Atletico Madrid’s Vincente Calderon stadium Sunday left one man dead. “Supporters” of Atletico and Deportivo La Coruña clashed two hours before the scheduled kickoff between the clubs. A 43-year-old Deportivo fan “suffered cardiac arrest, hypothermia and head injuries” after being pulled out of the nearby Manzanares river, according to The Guardian and died at the hospital. AS reports that the man was thrown into the river.

The clash reportedly included nearly 200 people and 20 were taken into custody, however the match went on as scheduled because they were apparently unable to reach a representative of the Spanish Federation in time.

Afterward representatives from both clubs condemned the violence.

"“I want to say that this has nothing to do with football,” Atlético president Enrique Cerezo said in an interview with Spanish television after champions Atlético won the match 2-0. “These are radical groups who meet up and these are the consequences,” Cerezo added. “I repeat that neither Atlético nor Deportivo have anything to do with these incidents, they are organised by radical groups who have their histories and their accounts to settle.”"

Players and coaching staffs on both teams were unaware of what happened before kickoff, too via ESPN FC’s Dermot Corrigan.

Whatever the circumstances, this is terrible.