The Peru football team was greeted by its fans, residing in Spain ahead of their international friendly against Morocco. These fans gathered around the hotel and the team went outside to greet the fans. But reportedly players did not respect the security perimeter set by them and hence were asked to step back.
Further, a fan-recorded video showed that an official gently pushed a player back which led to a massive brawl. Some onlookers also have said that the attack was racist in nature but there is no evidence to support that. After the brawl, Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was taken by the police for interrogation.
Watch the video here:
Earlier today, Pedro Gallese was released by the authorities and the Peruvian Football Federation released a statement addressing the issue. FPF expressed it “regrets” the incident and is “totally supportive” of Gallese. The FPF added it has “accompanied” Gallese “since the incident arose” and stated “full disposition” of relevant groups to find out what is conspired outside the hotel.
The statement further added the board will continue to promote mutual respect and make sure Pedro Gallese complies with the authorities. The statement said, “We will continue promoting mutual respect and we will ensure the integrity and rights of Pedro Gallese and all our players, technical staff and work team.”
The Spanish central government’s chief representative commented on the incident. The statement expressed that the Peruvian team was warned by the police to not interact with fans as it could comprise the team’s safety. The statement quoted by CNN said, “Even so, some players went out to be with them and, at some point, there was a confrontation between a player and riot police officer, and there was an assault, which caused the arrest of the player.”