Barça suspends Gol 1957 stand for Alavés after attempted attack on Camavinga

Gol 1957 closed for the Alavés match

FC Barcelona said on Thursday, 29 October, that it will suspend the Gol 1957 stand at Spotify Camp Nou, where its animation groups sit, for LaLiga's match against Deportivo Alavés on Sunday, 1 November. The club tied the decision to a series of files opened against it and some of its members over conduct contrary to the values of sport. Those proceedings could bring economic penalties and, in the worst case, the closure of the stadium.

“These behaviours expose the club to economic sanctions and the risk of the stadium being closed, as well as damaging its image.”

The club also said it will meet representatives of the groups that make up Gol 1957 in the coming hours to agree on commitments for a passionate but respectful atmosphere. Its aim is for the stand to be fully operational again for the Champions League match against Aston Villa on Tuesday, 3 November, provided the talks settle the situation.

The Camavinga incident and its penalties

The attempted assault on Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga came during the celebration of Real Madrid's second goal in the Clásico at Camp Nou on Sunday, 25 October, which made the score 1-2 in Real Madrid's favour. LaLiga reported the events to the disciplinary committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), a step that could lead to sanctions against the club. The Mossos d'Esquadra then identified the fan under the Sports Law, with help from the club's own security staff, and the fan belongs to one of the groups in the Gol 1957 stand.

Under the Sports Law, the fan faces a proposed fine of between 3,000 and 60,000 euros. Because no material or physical damage was recorded, the infraction is expected to be classed as serious, while a very serious classification would bring a fine of 60,001 to 650,000 euros. A serious finding could also bring a ban from sports venues of six months to two years, and a very serious one a ban of two to five years.

Lower end of proposed fine3,000

Upper end of proposed fine60,000

Lower end of proposed fine

3000 euros

Upper end of proposed fine

60000 euros

Data from the article text

The file has been passed to Barça's own disciplinary commission, which will decide which measures to apply. El Periódico reports that the fan tried to attack Camavinga and other Real Madrid players with a flag pole, and that objects were thrown from the area where the Gol 1957 groups sit.

A separate case at the same match

ABC reports a separate case from the same Clásico. A Real Madrid supporter in the visiting section, one of 399 people in that stand, was asked to leave after police footage showed him making a Nazi salute five times, and the Mossos' VAR report recorded the gesture to propose an administrative sanction under the law against violence in sport. According to ABC, the gesture was only spotted after a Barça supporter waved a Catalan flag over the barrier separating the two sections. The supporter was asked to leave at 21:58, about 14 minutes after the police team flagged the images, and the match continued without incident. ABC also quotes Xavier Porcuna, the club's head of security, who told his Real Madrid counterpart that one of their fans had been removed.

The same ABC report describes disturbances in Barcelona on the night before the match, which led to more than 100 arrests and about 30 shops being looted. A command centre was set up at Egara, the Catalan police headquarters in Sabadell, out of fear of further trouble.

What happens next

Gol 1957 will stay closed for the match against Alavés on Sunday, 1 November, and its return for the Aston Villa game on Tuesday, 3 November, depends on the talks with the group representatives. LaLiga's complaint before the RFEF could still lead to sanctions against the club. The fan's fine remains a proposal, and the file is pending before Barça's disciplinary commission. Beyond those dates, the reports set no timetable for the proceedings.