Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin says his club wants to ensure no violent ultras can attend games at the Estadio Vicente Calderon but admits enforcing such measures is difficult.
Many in Spanish society and football have called for an end to all links between clubs and radical supporters' groups following the death of Deportivo La Coruna fan Francisco Javier Romero Taboada, known as Jimmy, in a pre-organised street fight involving 200 people before Atletico's 2-0 La Liga win over Depor last Sunday.
Although Atletico figures including president Enrique Cerezo and coach Diego Simeone initially said the issue of hooliganism was something for society and politicians to deal with, on Tuesday the club announced that the "Frente Atletico" ultras would no longer be allowed into its stadium.
Speaking on TV station Cuatro, Gil Marin said the "Frente Atletico" would no longer be recognised as a "pena" -- an official grouping of supporters -- but said it was more difficult to identify and ban particular individuals.
"One thing is to expel them, another thing to dissolve the group," he said. "I am not the person to do that. What we can do is not allow them take part in any events at the Calderon. We cannot expel the entire sector because there are some good people in the Fondo Sur [area of ground], including inside the 'animation area' [a section designated for vocal support but without racism or violence].
"What must be done is identify them one by one, as we are doing, to expel them and ensure they never return to the stadium."
However, he added: "It is impossible to have control over those who say they are Atletico fans and then behave outside the values of sport."
The "Frente Atletico," formed with the Atletico's official backing in 1982, have been linked with numerous violent incidents over the years, including the death of a Real Sociedad fan outside the Calderon in 1998. While admitting that the ultras had until now been given their own "storage space" -- seen here -- inside the stadium, Gil Marin denied that the club had helped fund their activities.
"Until yesterday we had a storage space, something recommended by the police. It is closed now," he said. "That was so we did not have to, for each game, oversee the entrance of a megaphone, two drums and some flags and banners. [However] it is not correct that we have financially helped this group with the sale of official products. Atletico Madrid have no type of financial collaboration with this group."
Asked if the club could impose a ban on selling tickets to individuals with a proven criminal record, Gil Marin said he thought this was a step too far.
"There are violent people in the group," he told another interview with TV station La Sexta. "I would imagine that there are [people with police records] in the 'Frente Atletico,' like in all places. These days it is very difficult for anyone not to have previous convictions. If the police tell us that somebody has committed something committed with violence, we can expel them for life."
Controversy has arisen over how a block of 215 tickets found its way to Deportivo's "Riazor Blues" ultras outside the usual security measures for last Sunday's game. Atletico have said on their official website that these were sent directly to Deportivo's club officials, while Depor replied that it was the club's supporters' association that received those tickets.
Gil Marin, whose father was controversial former club president Jesus Gil y Gil, said Atletico never sold blocks of tickets to fan groups.
"For visiting fans we send tickets exclusively to the other club," he said. "We have not worked directly, or sent tickets directly, to anybody who is not a football club."
The difficulty of expelling an entire unwanted group of fans has been shown in Real Madrid's attempts to keep the "Ultras Sur" out of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Blancos president Florentino Perez attempted to ban the group last December, but some radical individuals have continued to attend games, and the club was hit with a UEFA punishment after neo-Nazi banners were displayed at the Bernabeu during last April's Champions League semifinal first leg at home to Bayern Munich.
Atletico appear set to face similar difficulties, with #ElFrenteNoSeMueve (#TheFrenteWillNotBeMoved) trending on social media hours after the club released its statement saying the ultras had been banned from the Calderon.