The Spanish government's anti-violence committee has decided not to sanction the fans who insulted Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos during the recent La Liga and Copa del Rey games at Sevilla.
Former Sevilla player Ramos was whistled and insulted by some of his old club's fans during Jan. 12's 3-3 Copa del Rey draw at the Sanchez Pizjuan, and the Spain international apologised afterwards for a gesture he made to the crowd after he converted a late penalty with a "Panenka."
Sevilla then asked La Liga's authorities to sanction Ramos for his gesture, with Madrid reacting by offering "complete support" to their captain.
The Seville-born player was then whistled throughout the 90 minutes of Sunday's league meeting between the sides, with the jeering loudest when he inadvertently headed an own-goal equaliser that contributed to Madrid's record 40-game record unbeaten run coming to an end.
The issue was considered at Thursday's meeting of Spain's Comision Estatal Contra la Violencia, el Racismo, la Xenofobia y la Intolerancia en el Deporte. The body decided to hand out €600 fines to two supporters, one found guilty of having "consumed narcotic substances" in the stands during the recent Copa game, and another who insulted stewards after being told to move as he was not in the correct seat.
However, the statement released after the meeting contained no mention of the Ramos incidents in either match.
La Liga's authorities had written publicly to the anti-violence committee detailing 11 instances of offensive chants from Sevilla's "Biris" ultras during Sunday's game, including a number of different insults aimed at Ramos. A similar letter was published by La Liga after the Copa meeting, detailing nine instances of offensive chanting.
The issue will now go to the "Competition Committee" of the Spanish FA (RFEF), which could still hand out punishments to Sevilla for failing to control its supporters' behaviour.
Spain's Anti-Violence Commission in Sport was established in 2007 to deal with problems of xenophobia, racism and intolerance, and in recent years has started to punish individuals who are caught in the act of making insulting chants or gestures by stewards or police.
However, there have been high-profile cases in which it has not been able to take action as it can only hand down sanctions if the actual individuals committing the offences can be identified.