Fan dies afer fight before Atletico Madrid-Deportivo match

MADRID - A supporter of Spanish football club Deportivo la Coruna was killed on Sunday morning in a fight between followers of his side and Atletico Madrid outside Atletico's Vicente Calderon Stadium.

11 other people were injured in the fight with three reported to be suffering from stab wounds, while police made two arrests and identified 30 people involved in the fight.

The supporter, who was reported to be around 40 years old, received a blow on the head in the fight between two sets of fan; Deportivo's Riazor Blues and Atletico's Frente Atletico, before being thrown into the River Manzanares, which runs alongside the ground. He was under water for around 8 minutes before being brought to the surface by divers and taken to Hospital Clinic in Madrid, suffering from his injuries and also from hypothermia.

The hospital reported the supporter to be "clinically dead," around half an hour before the match was due to kick off at mid-day local time, although this was later corrected and his condition was given as "critically ill". Unfortunately he later died of his injury.

In 1998 Aitor Zabaleta, a Real Sociedad supporter was stabbed to death outside the ground before a European game in 1998. Atletico Madrid issued a communque condemning the incident, but despite the tragedy the game, which ended in a 2-0 win for Atletico, went ahead, although the Spanish Football League issued a communique saying that had wanted to postpone the match, but that they had not been able to do so.

Finally Spain's anti-violence committee have announced they will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to investigate the incident.