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Betis punished over bottle incident

President of the Spanish Competition Committee, Alfredo Florez, center, talks to the press in Madrid on Friday, where he announced that Real Betis will play its next three home games away from its stadium. PHOTO: AP

Real Betis will play its next three home games away from its stadium as punishment after Sevilla coach Juande Ramos was knocked unconscious by a bottle thrown by its fans.

The Spanish federation ruled that Betis will have to play Zaragoza next week, Villarreal on April 1 and Real Sociedad on April 15 at other stadiums. It is not clear whether fans will be allowed to attend.

Ramos was hit on the head during the second half of Wednesday's Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg at Betis' Manuel Ruiz de Lopera stadium with Sevilla leading 1-0, forcing the match to be abandoned.

"The committee has decided unanimously to close the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera stadium for three matches, as we consider the incidents that occurred as very serious," Anti-violence Committee president Alfredo Florez said on Friday.

The remaining 33 minutes will be played in Getafe's Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium on March 20 and fans won't be allowed to attend.

The federation also said that presidents Pepe Leon of Betis and Jose Maria del Nido of Sevilla are to face further disciplinary action.

Spanish sports minister Jaime Lissavetzky had urged the federation to act against the violent incident with "the greatest rigor."

Ramos was hit by the bottle after Sevilla had taken a 1-0 lead with a 59th-minute goal by Frederic Kanoute. The coach, who stumbled before falling to the ground, was carried off on a stretcher but regained consciousness later.

Referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco abandoned the game soon afterward. Some Betis fans threw objects at an ambulance which entered the stadium for Ramos, resulting in riot police being deployed.

Ramos attended the team's training session on Thursday morning after being released from hospital, though doctors had recommended he rest for 48 hours.

According to press reports, a fan said the bottle which struck Ramos belonged to him but was grabbed by the aggressor, whom he described as being in "a drunken state." The fan, who was not identified, said it was a plastic, half-liter bottle which was half-full with a soft drink.

Ramos said the incident had resulted from an aggressive atmosphere in days leading up to the match.

Tensions ran high after a dispute between Del Nido and Betis' majority shareholder, Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, which followed a recent league match between the rivals at Betis' stadium.

Betis initially said that Del Nido would be banned for life from its stadium, although it was forced to rescind the policy after the federation warned the game could be canceled if acrimony persisted.
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