PSV refuse to name fans who humiliated beggars in Madrid
Toon Gerbrands, the Dutch club's general manager, said that he offered to cooperate at the time but now the request for identification is too late.
The case surrounding the humiliation of beggars in Madrid’s Plaza Mayor ahead of a Champions League last-16 match by traveling PSV fans has taken a new turn with the Dutch club refusing to cooperate with the investigation into the incident by the Spanish authorities.
As far as PSV are concerned the matter is closed. The club’s general manager, Toon Gerbrands, confirmed on Friday that PSV would not respond to a petition by Spanish prosecutors to name the people involved.
PSV fans punished by club
PSV identified the fans last March after the events in the Plaza Mayor ahead of the match against Atlético, when beggars doing the rounds in Madrid’s main tourist square were made to do press-ups for coins thrown by the travelling supporters. Six of them were subsequently banned by PSV from attending matches and Gerbrands said that he contacted the Spanish authorities at that time to offer information after prosecutors opened a case against the supporters.
However, a fresh petition from the Madrid Provisional Prosecutor’s Office for the names of those involved to be provided has been refused by PSV.
"Spain should have asked at the time"
“If Spain wanted this information they should have asked for it at the time. Nobody got in touch with us when we were the only people who were working to identify the guilty parties. And we have punished them. The request has just arrived, but it didn’t come at the time when we did everything possible and worked with the Dutch authorities `to identify the fans],” Gerbrands said.
PSV return
PSV are scheduled to play Atlético again on November 23 in this season's group stage of Europe elite club competition.