Levante and Sevilla ultras clash in Valencia hours before La Liga match

Clashes before the match

Ultras of Sevilla and Levante UD clashed on Monday, 12 October, in Valencia near the Ciutat de València, the Levante ground, several hours before their La Liga match scheduled for 21.00. Europa Press, citing the Policía Nacional, reported that police received a call shortly after 12.30 saying that a group of about 40 Sevilla supporters was behaving aggressively near the Roda Norte, in the area of Avenida Juan XXIII. The situation then escalated into a confrontation between that group and Levante UD ultras, with chairs and street furniture thrown. Sportowe Fakty reported that the clash began with insults before turning violent, and it cited witnesses who said the groups had separated before police arrived.

Weapons and scale of the violence

Europa Press said many of the participants were armed with sticks and were hooded or had their faces covered, as seen in a video broadcast by the Valencian public broadcaster À Punt. ABC, also citing À Punt, described several dozen radicals from both fan groups meeting in the streets and on bar terraces, where passers-by and customers fled and urban furniture and bar fittings were damaged. 20 minutos reported that the fight moved from bars near the stadium into the surrounding streets, with chairs and tables flying and ultras using bats and stones. ABC said objects and pyrotechnic material were thrown across the public road as the violence escalated quickly. Marca, as cited by Sportowe Fakty, reported that the Levante ultras involved had links to Betis ultras and that flares and chairs were thrown during the brawl.

Police response and status

Europa Press said officers from the Policía Nacional's Unidad de Intervención Policial went to the site, and their presence led the crowd to disperse and calmed the situation. As of that report, the police operation had ended without arrests and without anyone identified. Sportowe Fakty said the groups had already separated before officers reached the scene, which differs from the police account that officers dispersed them.

Match context and wider concern

The clashes came before the eighth round fixture of La Liga, which was due to start at 21.00 at the Ciutat de València. Sportowe Fakty described the game as the Monday match of matchday 8. ABC said the incidents returned attention to the persistent problem of violent fans around football, noting that the fighting included sticks and baseball bats. Spanish media widely described the scenes, according to Sportowe Fakty, which put the chairs, flares and bats at the centre of the reports.