Atletico Madrid sanctioned after fan disruptions in Sunday's derby

Madrid, Oct 3 (IANS) Disciplinary Committee of the Spanish Football Federation decided to sanction Atletico Madrid for the incidents in Sunday's Madrid derby with the partial closure of the south stand in the Metropolitano Stadium for three games and a fine of 45,000 euros (48,700 US dollars).

Sunday's derby between Atletico and Real Madrid was halted for around 15 minutes in the second half, after members of Atletico's 'Frente Atletico' group of 'ultra' supporters, situated in the south stand, hurled objects, including cigarette lighters and plastic bottles at Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after he celebrated Eder Militao's opening goal in the game that ended 1-1.

The images of the incident were seen all around the world, given that the Madrid derby is one of the biggest games of the season in Spain and viewed globally by football fans.

The partial closure affects the sections of the stand where the 'Frente Atletico' stand and in principle will be for the La Liga games at home to Leganes, Las Palmas and Alaves, reports Xinhua.

The sanction comes a day after Spain's Minister for Education, Professional Training and Sports, Pilar Alegria, said the government was looking for an "absolutely forceful response once the details given to us by the security forces and bodies are known."

The 'Frente Atletico' have a long and problematic history and have been linked with the murder of Real Sociedad fan Aitor Zabaleta in 1998 and that of Deportivo la Coruna supporter Francisco Javier Romero in 2014.

They have also been involved in racist incidents, including insults at Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. and Athletic Bilbao's Spanish international Nico Williams last season.

Atletico has 10 days to appeal the sanction.

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