Nacho Carretero reveals the surreal police moment he experienced during Deportivo’s promotion celebration in Valladolid: “They knew it was absurd, but…”
The promotion celebration for Deportivo de La Coruña’s return to Spain’s First Division began in Valladolid, where thousands of travelling supporters filled the streets and gathered around José Zorrilla Stadium for the decisive match of the season. The city was covered in blue and white on Sunday, as fans followed the team from the stands and from the surrounding area in an atmosphere that reflected the importance of the occasion.
Among the many deportivistas present was journalist Nacho Carretero, who later described one of the most surreal moments of the trip on Cadena SER’s Hoy por Hoy, where presenter Àngels Barceló congratulated him on the club’s success. Still smiling after the celebrations, Carretero recounted the strange confrontation that many supporters faced at the stadium entrances.
The week leading up to the match had already been marked by concern over access for visiting fans. The 1,000 tickets allocated to Deportivo supporters quickly proved insufficient for the huge demand. Many fans tried to secure seats in other parts of the stadium, but security made it clear that because the match had been classified as high-risk, no one would be allowed into the remaining sections wearing Deportivo shirts or displaying club symbols.
Despite those restrictions, thousands of supporters insisted on entering with their team colors visible. Carretero said he and hundreds of other fans gathered at one of the gates and were stopped by security staff, who told them they could not enter wearing the club shirt. He described how he moved to the front of the group and became a sort of spokesperson for the crowd, trying to negotiate a way through what he called an absurd situation.
According to his account, the exchange became increasingly bizarre. The security guard said he was following orders, while Carretero argued that the order made no sense. When police arrived, he repeated the same complaint and said the officer admitted the situation was ridiculous but did not know what to do. Carretero then suggested that the fans could simply remove their shirts, only to be told that entering shirtless was also not allowed.
In the end, the group found a workaround: they were told to turn their shirts inside out. Carretero laughed as he recalled the scene of fathers, mothers, grandparents, and children all flipping their shirts to comply with the rule. Once inside the stadium, however, the situation changed again. When they reached their seats, supporters put their shirts back on the normal way, effectively defeating the purpose of the control measures.
Carretero ended the anecdote by saying that LaLiga should reflect on such “ridiculous” situations. His story captured both the intensity of Deportivo’s promotion celebration and the confusion caused by strict security rules at a high-risk match.
