A glass bottle thrown from the stands landed near Henry Martin in the first minute of Club America’s 5-3 win at Leon on Saturday, October 17, a stadium security failure that leaves the home club waiting on a possible Liga MX sanction.
The incident came in the opening seconds at Estadio Leon, as Leon prepared to take the first corner of the Jornada 12 match. The bottle came from the stand behind Luis Angel Malagon’s goal and fell inside the area, close to Martin.
Malagon showed the bottle to referee Ismael Lopez Penuelas, and play stopped briefly. Leon midfielder Rodrigo Echeverria picked the bottle up and handed it to a ball boy under the referee’s supervision, and the match resumed.
No player was hit or injured, and the throwing was not repeated during the rest of the match. Martin went on to open the scoring from the penalty spot in the 5-3 win.
Neither Club Leon nor Liga MX had issued a statement about the incident as of Saturday night, and no sanction has been announced.
Under the FMF Reglamento de Sanciones, the home club is responsible for guaranteeing the safety of players, officials and spectators at its stadium. RÉCORD laid out what that can mean here: a fine, an aviso de veto, or a stadium veto of one or more matches, even when the object thrown hits nobody.
The decision rests with the Comision Disciplinaria. RÉCORD reported it will weigh the referee’s match report, the circumstances of the throw, and whether Leon’s security controls failed to keep a glass bottle out of the stands.
Authorities can also use stadium cameras and the Fan ID system to identify the person who threw the bottle, and that person can be barred from stadiums.
FutnSoccer will update this story when Club Leon, Liga MX or the Comision Disciplinaria responds. For continuing coverage, see FutnSoccer’s Liga MX hub.
