MADRID, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Spain's National Police force informed on Friday that it made 162 arrests of violent so-called 'ultra' football supporters in the first half of the 2025-2026 league season, which began in the middle of August and reached the midway point a week ago.
In a statement posted on the organization's official website, the police explained the arrests were made in 15 different operations across Spain, with most of the arrests in operations aimed at stopping "planned meetings (i.e., fights)" between rival sets of fans.
The police gave as examples of a planned fight between ultras from Atletico Madrid and Sevilla in November, while 14 people were detained in another operation to the Seville derby between Sevilla and Real Betis on November 30th.
"Most of the detainees are involved in crimes of tumultuous brawl, public disorder, injuries and belonging to a criminal group," explained the police, adding it had a "policy of 'zero tolerance' against extremist and violent behaviour."
The statement also explains that the vast majority of those arrested were "men, between 18 and 40 years old, with previous records in crimes related to public order, and linked to radical factions of different ideologies."
The police also highlighted that not all of the arrests took place in matches in La Liga or the Spanish Second division (Liga Hypermotion), pointing out that one operation took place in the third-tier clash between Talavera and Club Deportivo Careno, where rivals' fans had also planned to meet and fight. ■