Fan who threw a bottle at Leo Messi to be banned for life by Valencia

Messi talks to the referee about being hit with a water bottle

Valencia have announced that the fan who threw a plastic bottle at Leo Messi during the side’s 1-0 loss to Barcelona at the Mestalla will be identified and subsequently banned. The incident happened when the Argentine was celebrating Sergio Busquets’ goal near the corner flag. The 27-year-old was given a yellow card when he complained about it to the referee. He was examined by his medical staff who didn’t find anything worth being concerned about.

The club released a statement on their official website which said : “Valencia CF regret and condemn the isolated incident in the game against FC Barcelona, in which a small, uncapped bottle of water was thrown from the stands at opposition player Lionel Messi. The club will endeavour to locate the person who threw the bottle and they will be banned for life from the Mestalla.Valencia CF operate a zero tolerance policy on such actions and rigorously enforce all security measures set out by legislation.”

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique meanwhile said that clubs in Spain are fighting against the menace of fan violence.

“What happens inside the grounds, yes, you can control,” he said. “You can have at any ground a madman who is desperate to cause trouble but we are fighting against that.”

The Catalan club’s 1-0 win helped them stay just 2 points behind Real Madrid who won 2-1 at Malaga to stay at the top after 13 matches in the La Liga.

The FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner recently became the all-time top scorer in both the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.