Several players from the Peru team have confronted a group of National Police agents this Monday night in front of the hotel in Madrid where the team is concentrated. Dozens of fans had gathered in front of the NH Collection Eurobuilding to welcome the Peruvian team, which will play this Tuesday at the Estadio Cítivas Metropolitano against Morocco. According to police sources, some players exceeded the security perimeter of the Police to greet the fans and the agents did not recognize them as members of the Peruvian team.
The altercation began when one of the police officers in the security operation pushed midfielder Yoshimar Yotún to make him go back, mistaking him for a fan. Yotún responded to the agent’s attack with a new push that led to a struggle between the soccer players and the Police.
The National Police have explained that someone hit an agent in the eye, forcing them to intervene and subdue several individuals who ended up being identified as players for the Peru team. Soccer players Pedro Gallese, Álex Varela and Yoshimar Yotún were some of those involved, for which they were detained and taken to the police station.
“We wanted to greet the people and they started to hit us,” explained Gallese, captain of the Peruvian team, in statements to América Televisión. After testifying, Gallese was released without charge.
The Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has explained that the Consulate in Madrid has accompanied the players “at all times” ensuring “the physical integrity of all of them.” The Peruvian Ministry has regretted the incident and has announced that it will ask the Spanish authorities for “immediate clarification of the facts.”
Regretting what happened, the immediate clarification of the facts will be requested from the authorities concerned.
– Chancellery Peru 🇵🇪 (@CancilleriaPeru) March 28, 2023
Sources from the Peruvian Football Federation quoted by the EFE Agency describe the altercation as “confusing”. The Federation is compiling the videos released to try to “clarify the situation” and “resolve what happened.”
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