Salvadoran soccer team Alianza will have to play its home games behind closed doors for a year and pay a $30,000 fine, the country’s disciplinary body decided, after a stampede on Saturday at its stadium that killed 12 people and more than a hundred were injured.
In its ruling on Monday, the Disciplinary Commission of the Salvadoran Football Federation (FESFUT) also declared the visiting team FAS the winner, catapulting it to the semifinals of the Salvadoran league after winning the first game 1-0.
The tragedy occurred a few minutes after the start of the return match between Alianza and FAS for the quarterfinals of the Salvadoran league.
According to authorities and witness statements, hundreds of fans were enraged when they were not allowed to enter the stadium despite having tickets in their hands. People began pushing until they knocked down a gate, causing the stampede.
Authorities are investigating why stadium administrators only opened a gate on the south side and closed it when there were hundreds of fans trying to enter.
Alianza will play without an audience in the Apertura 2023 and Clausura 2024 tournaments unless it reaches the final, since a single game is played and there is no local condition. You will also have to pay the fine by July 21.
The Commission considered the possible disqualification of the directors and the general manager of Alianza to carry out any activity related to soccer for a period of one year, but it was ruled out because it was not supported by the majority of the members of the organization.
Meanwhile, the Public Ministry deepened an investigation to settle criminal responsibility in the event.
“The criminal behaviors that we are investigating are homicides, determining what degree of guilt may exist and what degree of intentionality could be attributed, as well as the issue of injuries to these people,” Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado told the press.
Later, given the versions that circulated on social networks and other platforms, Delgado published a tweet on his official account, as he said, to make it clear that “the only institution that has the constitutional mandate to establish and investigate the facts is the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic”.
And he added that “the people who are responsible must answer individually, either for their actions or their omissions. It will be the investigative procedures that will allow us to determine responsibilities.”
For his part, the general director of the National Civil Police, Commissioner Mauricio Arriaza Chivas, revealed that the investigations include the leadership of the teams involved in the match, the owners of the stadium, the organized bars and the possible overselling of ticket offices.
The general sector, where the stampede took place, was designated exclusively for Alianza fans.
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