Betis filed a complaint with UEFA due to the “dangerous and unsafe situation” experienced by fans at the entrances to the stadium, on Wednesday, before the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals, against Sporting de Braga.
“The security operation organized by the visiting club and the Portuguese national police was clearly insufficient to facilitate the entry of more than 1,700 fans into the visiting sector of the stadium. These deficiencies created a dangerous and unsafe situation for Betis fans and caused serious damage to many of them, who entered the stadium after the 25th minute of the game”, wrote the Andalusian emblem, in a statement.
Meanwhile, the club presented a “formal written complaint to both UEFA and the visiting club”, given the situation, in which its fans were kept on a staircase “for an hour and a half in deplorable conditions”.
According to Betis, the procession organized to transport fans from the meeting point to the stadium “was not scheduled by the Portuguese authorities sufficiently in advance to allow orderly searches and facilitate the entry of fans, resulting in serious congestion”.
On Wednesday, Sporting de Braga drew a goal against Spanish side Betis, with Austrian Florian Grillitsch scoring for the ‘Arsenalistas’ and Cucho Hernández reestablishing equality with a penalty.
The second leg will be played on April 16, at the Estadio de la Cartuja, in Seville.
