Atletico Madrid aiming to keep violent ultras out of Vicente Calderon

Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin says
his club wants to ensure no violent ultras can attend games at
the Estadio Vicente Calderon but admits enforcing such
measures is difficult.
Many in Spanish society and football have called for an end to
all links between clubs and radical supporters' groups following
the death of Deportivo La Coruna fan Francisco Javier
Romero Taboada, known as Jimmy, in a pre-organised
street fight involving 200 people before Atletico's 2-0 La Liga
win over Depor last Sunday.
Although Atletico figures including president Enrique Cerezo
and coach Diego Simeone initially said the issue of
hooliganism was something for society and politicians to deal
with, on Tuesday the club announced that the "Frente Atletico"
ultras would no longer be allowed into its stadium.
Speaking on TV station Cuatro, Gil Marin said the "Frente
Atletico" would no longer be recognised as a "pena" -- an
official grouping of supporters -- but said it was more difficult
to identify and ban particular individuals.
"One thing is to expel them, another thing to dissolve the
group," he said. "I am not the person to do that. What we
can do is not allow them take part in any events at the
Calderon. We cannot expel the entire sector because there are
some good people in the Fondo Sur [area of ground],
including inside the 'animation area' [a section designated for
vocal support but without racism or violence].
"What must be done is identify them one by one, as we are
doing, to expel them and ensure they never return to the
stadium."
However, he added: "It is impossible to have control over
those who say they are Atletico fans and then behave outside
the values of sport."
The "Frente Atletico," formed with the Atletico's official
backing in 1982, have been linked with numerous violent
incidents over the years, including the death of a Real
Sociedad fan outside the Calderon in 1998. While admitting
that the ultras had until now been given their own "storage
space" -- seen here -- inside the stadium, Gil Marin denied
that the club had helped fund their activities.
"Until yesterday we had a storage space, something
recommended by the police. It is closed now," he said. "That
was so we did not have to, for each game, oversee the
entrance of a megaphone, two drums and some flags and
banners. [However] it is not correct that we have financially
helped this group with the sale of official products. Atletico
Madrid have no type of financial collaboration with this
group."
Asked if the club could impose a ban on selling tickets to
individuals with a proven criminal record, Gil Marin said he
thought this was a step too far.
"There are violent people in the group," he told another
interview with TV station La Sexta. "I would imagine that
there are [people with police records] in the 'Frente Atletico,'
like in all places. These days it is very difficult for anyone not
to have previous convictions. If the police tell us that somebody
has committed something committed with violence, we can
expel them for life."
Controversy has arisen over how a block of 215 tickets found
its way to Deportivo's "Riazor Blues" ultras outside the usual
security measures for last Sunday's game. Atletico have said
on their official website that these were sent directly to
Deportivo's club officials, while Depor replied that it was the
club's supporters' association that received those tickets.
Gil Marin, whose father was controversial former club
president Jesus Gil y Gil, said Atletico never sold blocks of
tickets to fan groups.
"For visiting fans we send tickets exclusively to the other club,"
he said. "We have not worked directly, or sent tickets
directly, to anybody who is not a football club."
The difficulty of expelling an entire unwanted group of fans has
been shown in Real Madrid's attempts to keep the "Ultras
Sur" out of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Blancos
president Florentino Perez attempted to ban the group last
December, but some radical individuals have continued to
attend games, and the club was hit with a UEFA punishment
after neo-Nazi banners were displayed at the Bernabeu
during last April's Champions League semifinal first leg at
home to Bayern Munich.
Atletico appear set to face similar difficulties, with
#ElFrenteNoSeMueve (#TheFrenteWillNotBeMoved)
trending on social media hours after the club released its
statement saying the ultras had been banned from the Calderon.

Source:ESPN