The serious incidents that occurred during the derby between Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid held last weekend at the Metropolitano have once again put on the table the security problems generated by ultra violence but have also once again confronted LaLiga with the police unions.
Last Monday, the police union JUPOL accused Atlético de Madrid of “not letting the National Police intervene” in the face of serious incidents in the stands of the stadium and the throwing of objects onto the grass, which forced the derby to stop for more than 15 minutes. against Real Madrid. In addition, he denounces that the club allowed the presence of ultras from the Atlético Front, including some hooded “with neo-Nazi symbols.”
“The National Police was not allowed to intervene because they are private facilities for a private event like the League,” said the spokesperson for this union, Ibón Domínguez, who has also assured that this happens because “the club allows it.” Some words that Javier Tebas did not like at all, who flatly denied these accusations and assured that the security device deployed in the Atlético de Madrid-Real Madrid derby last night at the Metropolitan stadium “was exemplary and that there was full collaboration between the club and the National Police”.
“Both the LaLiga security director and the match directors present were able to verify that the security device deployed was exemplary and that there was full collaboration between the Club and the National Police”added the organization chaired by Javier Tebas.
A high price
But How much do these police devices cost and who pays for them? The high cost of protecting fans from ultra violence during football matches has a non-negligible cost and, therefore, before the start of the season, the police unions already demanded that they be assumed by LaLiga or by the teams and not by the State as is the case until now. This already partially occurs in the Basque Country, with its Law on Public Entertainment and Recreational Activities, which allows private entities, such as sports clubs, to be charged a fee for the Ertzaintza’s intervention in “high-risk” appointments. The amount to be paid is 31 euros per official and hour, which means that Athletic Bilbao has had to bear bills of around 13,000 euros per game.
According to the JUPOL union, the State It spends 15 million euros alone on police operations, which are made up of 150 police officers in normal matches and up to 400 officers for matches declared high risk. These devices begin before the match itself with the arrival of the visiting team’s fans and continue beyond the end of the match, ensuring that no clashes occur between fans.
Thus, a High Risk match, there is one every week, would mean 400 agents working for six hours for that match, which would have a cost of 74,400 euros, according to Relief. A special match, a Champions League final, for example, where a Spanish team participates would involve the mobilization of some 700 agents to monitor the good progress of the fans watching the match on the giant screens, the subsequent celebration in case the team Spaniard wins and waits until the team moves to the Spanish city to enjoy with its fans. We could be talking about a 12-hour service as happened in the last final that Real Madrid won. This would mean an approximate cost of 260,400 euros.
The same happens with other competitions such as the Copa del Rey. Last season, 1,511 National Police officers from various units traveled to Seville for the final between Athletic Club and RCD Mallorca. A police device that took place in the run-up and that lasted until several hours after the match took place, with a cost to the public coffers close to 300,000 euros.