In the U.S., cross-town rivalries tend to be good-natured fun, but in some places across Europe, these so-called derbies can be downright dangerous. Wednesday night’s Copa del Rey derby clash between FC Sevilla and Real Betis ended in a trip to the hospital for Sevilla coach Juande Ramos, who was knocked out cold by a large bottle thrown from the stands at Betis’ Ruiz Lopera Stadium. Spanish commentators said the bottle looked as if it were a full half-liter. The match was ultimately abandoned.
After the game, Betis issued the following statement: “The board of directors, the coaching staff and the players of Real Betis Balompié wish to express their sadness at the one-off, isolated incident that has brought about the suspension of this Copa del Rey quarterfinal.”
The Guardian’s Sid Lowe took serious issue with those words. Isolated? It was raining projectiles in Seville after Frederic Kanoute’s goal, as fans hurled anything they could find-lighters, bottles, coins, even screws, along with a chorus of monkey chants for the black players on the field. The only thing isolated about it was that this one connected and sent someone to the hospital. It was a disgrace, Lowe said, and sadly, a far from isolated incident in Spain this season. Other projectile victims include Sevilla goalie Andres Palop, a linesman at the Ruiz Lopera last weekend, and Barca keeper Albert Joquera against Real Zaragoza last night.