The Alianza club was held responsible for the stampede that killed 12 people Saturday during a football match in San Salvador and received a one-year sanction of matches behind closed doors, the federation announced on Tuesday. Salvadoran (Fesfut).
“The responsibility for the events that occurred at the Cuscatlán stadium during the match is attributable (to the Alliance, editor’s note) as a local team and therefore organizer of the match”, specifies the decision of the disciplinary committee of Fesfut.
Alianza was thus sentenced to “play behind closed doors, without the support of spectators for a period of one year” and to pay before July 21 the payment of a fine of 30,000 dollars, specifies the federation.
It concluded that Alianza had “failed to adopt measures to prevent the events” or had “done it negligently”. In particular, she considered that the access controls to the stadium had been “manifestly deficient”.
The opposing club, FAS, was declared the 2-0 winner of this match counting for the quarter-final second leg of the closing tournament of the local championship and the Alianza, which had lost 1-0 in the first leg, is by therefore eliminated.
Alianza, who claims to participate in the judicial inquiry, is also accused of “lack of collaboration” by Fesfut because she did not submit a report to the disciplinary committee.
At least 12 people died on Saturday during a stampede between supporters in the Cuscatlan stadium, with a capacity of 35,000 seats. More than 500 others had to seek medical treatment.
The drama happened around the 15th minute when supporters tried to enter the enclosure, one of the largest in Central America.
