Güímar-Hortaleza to be played on Sunday 11 behind closed doors in Tenerife

The Copa del Rey preliminary round tie between Atlético Unión Güímar and Sporting de Hortaleza finally has a date, a venue and a format. The second leg will be played on Sunday 11 October at 12:00 at the El Peñón stadium in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, and it will take place behind closed doors. That is the ruling issued by Rafael Alonso, the single disciplinary judge of the Spanish Football Federation, following the incidents that forced the match to be suspended last Sunday.

• The RFEF rejects the arguments submitted by both clubs and orders the tie to be resumed.
• The match will be played on Sunday 11 October at 12:00, without fans, in Tenerife.
• The winner will meet Sevilla in the first round of the Copa del Rey.
• The incidents will be examined in a separate extraordinary disciplinary procedure.

What happened in the suspended Güímar-Hortaleza match

The second leg of the Copa del Rey preliminary round never got underway because Sporting de Hortaleza refused to take the pitch. The Madrid club believed its safety could not be guaranteed following the serious incidents that occurred before the game. In the first leg, played in the Community of Madrid, Atlético Unión Güímar had won 0-1, a result that left the tie wide open for the return fixture in Tenerife.

The disciplinary judge's ruling on the Copa del Rey tie

Both arguments rejected

The claims presented by the two clubs have been dismissed. The Canarian side had asked that Sporting de Hortaleza's refusal to play be treated as a failure to appear, which would have meant automatic qualification for Güímar. For its part, the Madrid team requested that Güímar be handed a defeat as a result of the serious incidents. The disciplinary judge did not accept either position.

Why no failure to appear and no default loss

According to the ruling, Sporting's refusal to play was justified by the fear generated by the previous incidents. That context prevents the case from being classified as a failure to appear by the visiting club. At the same time, the judge found no grounds to declare Atlético Unión Güímar the loser of the tie. Possible responsibility for the disturbances will be investigated separately through an extraordinary disciplinary procedure.

New date, new venue and behind closed doors in Tenerife

The match has been rescheduled for Sunday 11 October at 12:00. It will be played at the El Peñón stadium in Puerto de la Cruz, a different venue from the one originally planned, and without spectators in the stands. The decision to close the stadium aims to prevent any repeat of the problems that occurred the previous weekend. It will be a single opportunity for both clubs to secure a place in the next round on the pitch.

What is at stake: a place against Sevilla

The winner of this preliminary tie will advance to the first round of the Copa del Rey, scheduled for 27, 28 and 29 October. Waiting there is Sevilla, a top-flight club with multiple Copa del Rey titles. For a regional-level side such as Atlético Unión Güímar or Sporting de Hortaleza, facing the Andalusian team would be a historic occasion. That is why the disciplinary judge's decision was so important: both clubs want to earn a meeting with one of Spanish football's biggest names.

The disciplinary file remains open

Resuming the match does not close the investigation into what happened. The RFEF has decided to handle the responsibilities arising from the incidents separately through an extraordinary disciplinary procedure. That process could result in fines, stadium closures or other measures against those involved. The outcome of the investigation will not affect the tie itself, which has now been settled with the new Sunday date.