Spanish football club Getafe handed 3-match partial stadium ban for racist abuse

By Senhan Bolelli

MADRID (AA) - The Spanish football body has imposed on Getafe a three-match partial stadium closure after fans racially abused a Sevilla player and head coach during a league match.

The RFEF disciplinary committee said in a statement on Wednesday that Getafe were also fined €27,000 ($29,100) after a group of fans voiced racist slurs against Sevilla's Argentine left-back Marcos Acuna and Spanish head coach Quique Sanchez Flores.

Sevilla won at Getafe 1-0 win in a Spanish La Liga match on March 30.

Some Getafe fans in the stadium are said to have called 32-year-old Acuna "monkey," referee Javier Iglesias Villanueva wrote in his match report.

The referee paused the match in the 68th minute for racist chants.

Following the away win, Flores told Spanish media that some Getafe fans called him a "gypsy."

The 59-year-old has earlier said he is "proud to be a gypsy," but found it "abhorrent" when it was used to abuse him.

Flores, who led Atletico Madrid to the 2010 UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup titles, has coached Getafe three times.

The disciplinary committee also demanded Getafe to publish a visible message condemning racist, xenophobic and intolerant actions in football.

Now in the 11th spot in the top-tier LaLiga, Getafe will suffer their partial stadium closure in matches against Real Sociedad (April 21), Athletic Bilbao (May 5) and Atletico Madrid (May 15).