SEVILLE - Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido hopes city rivals Real Betis are not punished for the bottle-throwing incident which caused the abandonment of their home game against Athletic Bilbao.
Saturday's Primera Liga match at Betis' Manuel Ruiz de Lopera stadium was halted with 18 minutes remaining after Athletic goalkeeper Armando Ribeiro was struck in the face by a bottle thrown from the stands behind the goal.
Armando, who was bleeding from a cut just below his right eye, was stretchered off the pitch and referee Carlos Clos Gomez subsequently took the teams off with the visitors leading 2-1.
A man was immediately taken into custody by the authorities after being identified by nearby Betis fans and, after spending Saturday and Sunday night in custody, was released on bail on Monday.
Now Del Nido believes the person responsible for the attack should bear the full consequences of his act and not the club.
"I beg the Competition Committee not to punish Betis, because they are not responsible for an act committed by a fan during a game," he said in Marca.
"I really hope there is no punishment for our rival and that the one who gets punished is the one who committed the act.
"Betis is not responsible for some for madman who doesn't know how to behave himself."
