Sevilla FC is gearing up for a fight. The club announced Wednesday afternoon that thay will appeal the sanctions handed down by the RFEF Disciplinary Committee following the heated derby against betis last Sunday.
The RFEF Disciplinary Committee has hit Sevilla with a two-game suspension for isaac Romero after his red card for a kick on Valentín Gómez. On top of that, the Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium faces partial closure for three games due to the objects thrown onto the field, which led to the match being temporarily halted. The club also faces a hefty €45,000 fine for these incidents.
Sevilla FC has made it clear they won’t take these sanctions lying down. “First and foremost, Sevilla FC will appeal the partial closure of the Sánchez-Pizjuán due to the events that occurred in the derby, doing so in both sports and ordinary instances,” the club stated. “Likewise, the two-match sanction imposed on Isaac Romero for his expulsion in the match will also be appealed.”
Adding fuel to the fire, Sevilla’s manager, Matías Almeyda, voiced his strong opinions on the matter before the sanctions were officially announced. Almeyda questioned the red card decision for Isaac Romero, suggesting it wasn’t a clear expulsion offense, and didn’t hold back his criticism of the officiating crew. Regarding the thrown objects, he commented:
“When incorrect acts happen, no one likes them.Now we have to see why they went. People are respected. If you win, you have to be humble and leave. Don’t provoke. Nothing is right, but it was plastic that they threw away. How many fell? One or two…? If they go to South America… It’s football,a derby,a provocation and the people demonstrated like this. I do not agree with anything, neither in the provocation nor in the demonstration. They are measures that are taken. Out there one is used to something else, having a stone thrown at you, here it was a plastic bottle… Why do we focus on our audience? Why did the public do that?”
Almeyda’s remarks highlight a perceived double standard and a desire to understand the root causes of the crowd’s actions, rather then solely focusing on the immediate consequences.
