Simon Hunter
MEMBERS of Peru’s national football team were involved in scuffles with Spanish riot police on Monday evening, as they tried to leave their hotel in Madrid to greet fans who were camped outside.
Dozens of Peruvian nationals spent hours on Monday afternoon waiting to catch a glimpse of their heroes, who will be playing a friendly match today, Tuesday, against Morocco.
The pushing and shoving took place when some of the players went to greet the fans outside the hotel, thus breaching a perimeter that the police officers in attendance had put in place.
Some of the National Police riot officers, however, thought that the players were members of the public and started pushing them back to avoid them reaching the crowds.
Videos of the incident that have been circulating on social media show player Yoshimar Yotun being shoved by the officers, as well as the captain and goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
In fact, Gallese was detained by the authorities for pushing the officers back but was released with no charges at 3am on Tuesday morning, according to reports in the Spanish press.
The Peruvian Football Federation released a statement about the incident, saying that they were ‘respectful of the authorities and the procedures of every country that we visit. We call for calm and composure among our fans and we express our total rejection of violence.’
Tonight’s match between Peru and Morocco will take place at 9.30pm in Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium, which is home to Atletico Madrid.
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