Spain approves new measures to fight football fan violence

MADRID -- Spain's higher sports council has approved new penalties against fan violence in football after a street fight between radical fan groups left one man dead in Madrid late last year.

Council president Miguel Cardenal says the new penalties that can be applied to clubs linked to violent behavior include relegation, points deduction, and the full or partial closure of stadiums.

League president Javier Tebas says ''racist, xenophobe and abusive songs'' by supporters in a stadium can lead to the partial closure of the stadiums.

One Deportivo La Coruna fan associated with a radical group died from injuries sustained in a fight with an Atletico Madrid ''ultra'' group in the Spanish capital on Nov. 30.