LA LIGA SLAMS ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ THREATS AGAINST SEVILLA FOLLOWING AIRPORT AMBUSH BY FANS

Spain’s top football league, La Liga, has issued a strong rebuke over the harassment of Sevilla FC players and officials after the team returned from a damaging away defeat. The club’s latest loss came on Sunday, April 5, when they were beaten 1-0 by bottom-of-the-table Real Oviedo, who have managed only 24 points from 30 matches this season. The result marked Sevilla’s third straight league defeat.

Trouble erupted when a hostile group of supporters confronted the squad and coaching staff at the airport upon their arrival back home, subjecting them to verbal abuse. In a separate incident, masked individuals were seen gathering at the club’s training ground. La Liga labelled the behaviour an “unacceptable crossing of the line of legitimate criticism and sporting expression.” The league said it would report the matter to the relevant authorities and warned that further action would be taken if such incidents recur. Similar attempts by fans to storm the training ground had already occurred earlier in the season.

“Anyone who crosses the line from criticism into threats, intimidation, or harassment stops acting as a fan and starts acting as a violent individual,” La Liga declared. “And against violent individuals, La Liga acts and will act.”

Sevilla are currently on a five-match winless run in La Liga and have slipped to 17th place in the standings, hovering just two points above the relegation zone with only eight games left to play.