Three Espanyol supporters given three-year prison sentences 09/04/2008 00:00

The supporters, convicted of serious public order offences, are also barred from attending matches for five years.

9 April 2008

MADRID - Spanish news agency Efe announced on Tuesday afternoon that three supporters of Espanyol had been given three-year prison sentences by a Barcelona court.

In addition, they have been barred from attending matches for five years.

They have all been convicted of serious public order offences at the Catalan derby match of 16 October 2004, between Espanyol and Barcelona, played at the Montjuic Olympic stadium.

The three supporters - David Garcia Garcia, Antonio Sanchez Teodoro and Raul Rubio Sanchez - are part of a ultra-right wing group of Espanyol fans with a long history of provoking disorder at games.

During the half-time break of the match in question they broke seats and fences, and attacked police officers.

After the match, won 2-0 by Barca, they broke street signs and disrupted the traffic, in one of the worst examples of football hooliganism suffered in the Catalan capital.

Espanyol have made it clear that none of the three are paid-up members of the club.

[dpa / Expatica]