Spain's sports minister has accused the directors of Real Betis and Sevilla of inflammatory behaviour ahead of a King's Cup tie that was abandoned after Sevilla coach Juande Ramos was knocked unconscious by a bottle.

"It was a shameful incident," Jaime Lissavetzky told radio station Cadena Ser yesterday. "In the days before the game certain individuals from the clubs generated a climate that meant the game could not take place in a normal atmosphere."

Ramos agreed with Lissavetzky saying that the two clubs had contributed to the tension that had led to Wednesday's incident.

"We added fuel to the fire," he told a news conference after being discharged from hospital. "We are guilty of causing this situation and can't expect the people to attend the stadium like lambs when we have provoked them.

"We have to realise that that our words have a big impact and we must take more care."

The build-up to the latest Seville derby was dominated by public arguments between directors of the two clubs over whether or not Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido would be allowed in the VIP box at the Betis stadium.

After mediation by the Andalucian regional government, Betis finally allowed Del Nido to attend the match although a number of fans threw objects at him, one of which hit him on the nose, as he took his seat.

Former Betis coach Ramos was hit on the back of the head by a large plastic bottle full of liquid thrown from the crowd as he celebrated his side's goal in their quarterfinal, second leg at the Betis ground.

The match was abandoned with Sevilla leading the tie 1-0 on aggregate.

Eye witnesses said objects had been thrown at the Sevilla coach and his assistants throughout the match, while several Sevilla players were subjected to racial abuse.

"Everything was raining down on them, screws, bottles, lighters. It was terrible," one person told sports daily Marca.

The ambulance in which medical staff attended Ramos was hit by bottles thrown by Betis fans, some of whom chanted "Ramos die".

Daily El Pais reported that some 200 Sevilla fans set light to more than 60 rubbish bins and telephone booths when they were denied entry to the stadium.

Matches between city rivals Sevilla and Betis are regularly marred by crowd problems, including a 1999 incident when a knife was thrown at Betis midfielder Benjamin in the derby at the Sevilla stadium.

(China Daily via Agencies March 2, 2007)