THE SEVILLE derby between Real Betis and Sevilla was suspended on Sunday after players were targeted by missiles thrown from the crowd.
Real Betis were 2-0 up against the ten men of Sevilla at the latter’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan when play was stopped in the 87th minute.
Sevilla were waiting to take a corner as their fans behind the goal began to throw objects towards Betis stopper Alvaro Valles.
Betis defenders could be spotted trying to boot water bottles and other debris that littered the penalty area off the pitch so play could continue.
But referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero called proceedings to a halt and ran to inform the managers that he would be suspending the game.
The teams had reportedly been warned about fans throwing objects onto the pitch earlier in the contest.
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The referee felt that this was the last straw, explaining the situation to the bosses – including Betis and former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini – before leading his officials off the pitch.
Betis players were visibly frustrated at having to leave their two-goal lead on the pitch with the suspension, after taking the lead thanks to former West Ham star Pablo Fornals and midfielder Sergi Altimira.
The 84th minute sending off of Sevilla’s Isaac Romero for a cynical kick on Valentin Gomez, just minutes before the game was suspended, kicked the existing tensions at the derby into overdrive.
The announcement arrived that play would resume 15 minutes after the initial stoppage, with reports from the stadium saying that another announcement reminded fans that the game would once again be stopped if the behaviour continued.
The game was eventually able to be completed, finishing 2-0 and pushing Real Betis up to 5th in LaLiga.
Sevilla dropped into 13th as a result of the loss, with chants echoing through the stadium calling for the club’s board to resign amid discontent at the club this season.
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