Trial of Marseille fan wraps up in Spain

A Marseille fan who was arrested for allegedly fighting with police during the French club's Champions League match at Atletico Madrid in October declared himself innocent Wednesday during his one-day trial in Spain.

No date for the verdict was given however Santos Mirasierra's lawyer told AFP he expected it could be handed down within 48 hours.

Spanish state prosecutors have recommended an eight-year jail term for the Marseille supporter — four years for causing bodily harm to an officer and another four years for public disorder counts.

The 34-year-old denied hitting an officer with a chair during the altercations between Marseille fans and Spanish police before the October 1 match, but admitted pushing a policeman, arguing he was defending a female Marseille supporter.

“I am innocent,” he told the court.

A Spanish policeman testified he saw Mirasierra strike his superior with a chair that was ripped from the stands of the stadium. He described the chair however as being red when it was in fact white.

In images of the altercations broadcast on Spanish and French television, Mirasierra is seen either talking calmly with police or pushing an officer but there is no footage of him hitting a policeman with a chair.

Prosecutors maintained thair accusations against Mirasierra, who has been held at a Madrid jail since the match.

Mirasierra's lawyer Erlantz Ibarrondo Merino said the court should limit the jail sentence to between one and a half months to nine and a half months if he is convicted of some of the charges levelled at him.

Atletico were originally fined 150,000 euros (190,000 dollars) and hit with a two-match stadium ban for Champions League matches by UEFA after their fans appeared to chant racist insults during the October 1 match.

The Spanish club appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which halved with the stadium ban cut to one game instead.