The disciplinary committee for non-professional competitions has ruled that the decisive Copa del Rey preliminary match between Atlético Unión Güímar and Sporting Hortaleza will take place this Sunday, October 11, at 12:00 local insular time, at Estadio El Peñón in Puerto de la Cruz behind closed doors, as reported by cadenaser.com and eldeportivo.es. The fixture offers the winner a first-round tie against Sevilla.
The Disciplinary Ruling on Allegations and Suspensions
The Single Disciplinary Judge of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) rejected formal allegations from both clubs following the suspension of the initial fixture, according to reporting by eldeportivo.es. Atlético Unión Güímar argued that the visiting squad’s refusal to play constituted a formal default, while Sporting Hortaleza maintained that the Tenerife club should forfeit the tie due to pre-match violence outside Tasagaya field, noted cadenaser.com.
The federation rejected both claims, ruling that Sporting Hortaleza was justified in refusing to take the pitch due to fear generated by the altercados. Consequently, the governing body dismissed the request for a default loss against the Madrid side. At the same time, the disciplinary judge found insufficient regulatory grounds to penalize Atlético Unión Güímar with a defeat in the administrative offices, ordering instead that the sporting contest be decided entirely on the field of play, as detailed by eldeportivo.es.
Extraordinary Disciplinary Proceedings and Incident Review
While the federation confirmed the tie must resume, it announced the opening of a separate extraordinary disciplinary proceeding to investigate responsibilities stemming from the initial unrest. As reported by elcorreo.com, the disturbances outside the venue last Sunday included firecrackers, stones thrown at the visiting team bus, verbal abuse, bottle-throwing, and physical punches.
The match referee noted in the official match report that a Guardia Civil detachment arrived 37 minutes late, with a lieutenant confirming that security was guaranteed for the remainder of the fixture. While the local club relied on that official assurance to maintain that the match should proceed immediately, the visiting side argued that the emotional and physical environment left them unprepared to compete safely, according to elcorreo.com.
RFEF Moves Match to Puerto De La Cruz
To avoid a recurrence of the hostile atmosphere at Tasagaya, the RFEF moved the decisive fixture to Estadio El Peñón in Puerto de la Cruz, situated approximately 56 kilometers by road from the original venue. The match will be played without spectators to protect both squads and officials.
The winner of Sunday’s contest advances immediately to the first round of the Copa del Rey to face Sevilla in a single-elimination match hosted at the victorious team’s stadium. Entering the rescheduled fixture, Sporting Hortaleza holds a 1–0 aggregate advantage from the interrupted series.
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