Manizales authorized only the Los de Sur Manizales barra to enter Palogrande for Friday’s Once Caldas vs Atlético Nacional match, while city officials prepared a heavy security operation around the stadium and a controlled exit plan afterward.
Andrés Mauricio Gaitán said the group was made up of fans “who were born and live in Manizales” and said they would receive the same treatment as Once Caldas supporters. He said the operation would include more than 500 police officers, 580 logistics and security staff from Once Caldas and more than 100 people from the municipal administration, with help from the Ejército Nacional in security rings outside the stadium.
The Committee Local de Fútbol heard from the different actors involved, mainly barra leaders, before the Friday match and reviewed the risks tied to violence linked to people who were not real fans but took part in criminal acts in Medellín. The committee also voted to allow Atlético Nacional supporters in Manizales to attend, even as the city kept the stadium entry restricted to Los de Sur Manizales.
Officials said the so-called fronteras were closed because the south end of Palogrande no longer had enough capacity and because work was underway to install the stadium screen. The Unidad de Gestión de Riesgo and the Secretaría de Infraestructura said the area could not safely hold more people under those conditions.
Gaitán said the postmatch Plan Desdoblamiento would escort supporters out in stages, starting with family stands, then Atlético Nacional followers, then the Brigada 11 barra and finally Holocausto Norte. The decision leaves a tightly managed Friday in Palogrande: one authorized barra inside, a larger police presence outside and a departure order designed to prevent trouble once the final whistle blows.