LaLiga to report fan who poked player in the backside to the juvenile prosecutor’s office
By Matias Grez, CNN
(CNN) — LaLiga, Spain’s top soccer league, says it is going to report a young Rayo Vallecano fan who poked Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos in the backside to the juvenile prosecutor’s office.
The incident occurred in the 33rd minute of Sevilla’s 2-1 win away at Rayo when Ocampos backed towards the advertising hoardings as he prepared to take a throw-in.
Video footage shows a fan in the stands just on the other side of the hoardings poke his finger into Ocampos’ backside, causing the Argentine to turn around and confront the three young fans sitting behind him.
Ocampos then stopped the game to call officials over, leading Rayo players Isi Palazón and Óscar Valentín to come over and speak to the three boys.
“LALIGA is going to report the facts to the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office as it involves a minor,” the league said in a statement to CNN. “The Police have already identified him.”
The juvenile prosecutor’s office told CNN it cannot give out any information due to Spanish data protection laws.
CNN has reached out to the Madrid police for comment.
After the match, Ocampos said he hoped the league takes the incident as seriously as it takes incidents of racist abuse.
“I don’t think all Rayo people are like that because the truth is that they always treat us with respect,” Ocampos told DAZN España.
“There is always one fool and I hope it doesn’t happen in other areas because, if it happens in women’s football, we know what can happen. I held back because I have two daughters and I hope that tomorrow it doesn’t happen to them.
“Let’s hope they make the decision they have to make and I hope that a fool like this doesn’t stain the fan base because the truth is they behaved very well.”
In a statement released after the match, Rayo said it “condemned the action” of the fan.
“This isolated action is solely the individual responsibility of the fan who carried it out, with neither Rayo Vallecano nor any of the other almost 15 thousand spectators who filled the Vallecas Stadium in the match against Sevilla FC having any responsibility for it and who had exemplary behavior,” the statement read.
“Rayo Vallecano has always promoted the maximum respect towards referees, footballers and coaches. Individual actions like this are opposite to the values that Rayo Vallecano promotes.”
Sevilla said that it “deeply regrets” the incident, adding that “our player Lucas Ocampos suffered an obscene and totally inappropriate gesture by a local fan.”
Rayo president Martin Presa echoed those sentiments in an interview with Spanish TV show “El Chiringuito,” calling it an “incorrect situation that should never occur on a football pitch.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
