An altercation occurred Monday night (March 27) between the Peruvian national fútbol team and Spanish police officers in Madrid. The team is in Spain to play international friendly matches.
The incident happened as fútbol fans gathered at the team’s hotel to see their favorite players. Peru’s Alex Valera, Pedro Gallese, and Yoshimar Yotún were three players allegedly assaulted by the Spanish police as they attempted to greet their fans.
https://twitter.com/diario_libero/status/1640459511386218499
“We wanted to say hello to the people, and they started punching us,” Gallese said. According to La Republica, after the incident, Gallese was transported to the police station for allegedly hitting an officer.
Peruvian journalist Gustavo Peralta reported that “other Peruvian players” also went to the police station to testify.
“The Peruvian Consulate in Spain is supporting so that the situation does not escalate with the players of the Peruvian team,” Peralta said. “Pedro Gallese is in a police station.”
https://twitter.com/Gustavo_p4/status/1640545276996853762
Later, Peralta reported that Gallese was released from police custody shortly before 5 a.m.
https://twitter.com/Gustavo_p4/status/1640547395569176582
The Peruvian team then released an official statement: “The Peruvian soccer federation regrets the events that occurred in Madrid. We also reiterate that we are respectful of the authorities and procedures of each country we visit. For this reason, we are at the full disposal of internal and external control bodies to help clarify what happened.”
People online didn’t feel they needed an investigation to clarify what happened. They didn’t believe a European team would be treated the same way by Spanish police as the Peruvian team was.
Peru plays against Morocco on Tuesday (March 28) at 3:30 p.m. ET.
