Soccer: ETA bomb threat clears Madrid stadium

MADRID - About 70,000 people were forced to evacuate Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium minutes before the end of a Primera Liga match yesterday after a bomb threat in the name of ETA Basque separatist guerrillas.

The decision to abandon the game against Real Sociedad three minutes from time and evacuate the crowd was taken after Basque newspaper Gara said it received a warning from a caller claiming to represent ETA that there was a bomb in the ground.

The caller said the bomb would explode at 9pm (local time), but Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said no bomb had been found.

Real Madrid's star-studded team, including Brazil's Ronaldo and England's David Beckham, suddenly trooped off the pitch without any explanation and then an announcement was made over the public address system telling the crowd to leave the ground.

Spectators left the stadium in an orderly way, clearing the ground in less than 15 minutes.

Hundreds streamed across the pitch on their way to the exits.

Outside, a few people could be seen in tears.

The match was abandoned with the score at 1-1.

ETA has targeted the Bernabeu Stadium before.

In May 2002, a car bomb exploded nearby hours before a European Champions League semifinal and 17 people were treated for shock or slight injuries. ETA warned of that attack in a call to Gara.

- REUTERS