ISSUE NO. 1655
23 - 29 March 2017
MALLORCA
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Fathers’ football fracas
Parents involved in free-for-all at children’s match By Gillian Keller and Matt Ford The Guardia Civil has opened an official investigation after a mass brawl broke out between parents of children competing in an U13s football match in Alaro on Spanish Father’s Day. A number of witnesses are to be questioned and four fathers may be charged after a video of the shocking incident emerged on social media. On Wednesday Miquel Bestard, president of the Balearic Football Federation,
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met with regional council delegate Maria Salom to deliver a report prepared by the Anti-Violence Commission. The skirmish occurred during a league game between Union Deportiva Alaro and Collerense, after a player went in hard for a tackle, sparking fury among watching parents. Both teams then got involved in some pushing and shoving, before the violence spread to onlookers when several fathers surged onto the pitch with some trying to separate arguing players while others remonstrated
with the referee. They then began to squabble among themselves, before an all-out scrap broke out as mothers could be heard screaming “there are children!” Several required hospital treatment in the aftermath, and the match was immediately suspended by the referee. Alaro Football Club have voluntarily dropped out of the league for the rest of the season. The club president will ask the federation to allow the remaining matches to be played as friendlies.
FEUDING FANS: The violence spread off the pitch to onlookers.