San Diego Futbol Club said Friday that 33 people have been banned from attending all team and MLS events in the wake of their involvement in last Saturday’s fights in the Snapdragon Stadium stands and parking lot.
The violence — including use of belts and thrown cups and cans — took place after San Diego scored a late 2-1 victory over rival LA Galaxy.
“Major League Soccer, the LA Galaxy and local law enforcement [helped] confirm identities and enforce the bans,” the club said on its website. “Our collective review of the incidents is ongoing, and further actions may be taken.”
LA Galaxy fans were seen running toward the SDFC fans side.
The fights reportedly started over a stolen San Diego fan-support group banner.
“The behavior exhibited by these individuals is entirely unacceptable and does not reflect who we are as a club,” said SDFC officials. “We seek to create matchdays that are safe, welcoming, and respectful environments for all fans.”
The club said Snapdragon Stadum officials “have assured us that they will enhance security protocols to ensure safety at stadium events.”
Violations of the MLS Fan Code of Conduct may result in serious consequences, the club said, including stadium ejections and bans.
Times of San Diego has reached out to San Diego FC and its support group for more details, including how many banned fans are connected to SDFC and the Galaxy.
On Reddit, commenters are debating whether and when security guards should have gotten involved in stopping the fights.
Said usctrojan18: “Great start! Now let’s hire some security guards who are willing to actually break up fights. Either a new security company or pay for better guards. It’s amazing how in a few videos you can see security just tell people to stop fighting/arguing instead of taking any sort of real action.”
KasherH responded: “LOL. No one working security at an MLS game is getting paid enough to get in the middle of that shit. I’ve worked security before for sporting events and it was really just because I was a college lacrosse player. They absolutely are not paying for anyone who is actually a security guard. For what training we got, it was to NOT get in the middle of altercations. That takes training and liability.”
Said Hyperion_394: “Snapdragon [is] a product of public/private ownership of the facilities. The fact that its publicly funded (SDSU), means there should be a much larger police presence, much in the same way it would be for a civic event like a parade.
“I suspect they are using this year to test what the minimal amount of presence should be, which is why there have been so many incidents in the short span. Not a fan of them promoting ‘family atmosphere’ while they have done absolutely the minimum to ensure fan safety.”
