A Barcelona supporter who has been ordered to stay away from football grounds in Spain after firing a fake gun during the derby win at Espanyol has told El Periodico he did so because he was scared.
Jose Manuel Perez Diaz, 53, fired two blank shots after a group of Espanyol fans came toward him after he celebrated the opening goal at Cornella-El Prat.
Diaz, who was seated among home supporters, blamed the effects of combining alcohol and medication he is taking to combat depression before the game.
"I had a fake gun. I didn't put anyone in danger but I regret doing it," he said.
"Some radical fans of Espanyol didn't like my celebration. They were close and started to throw insults at me. I remember a group of about 40 jumping from their zone into mine. They were coming for me.
"I feared for my life and took out the gun. I pointed it at them and shot two times. Because they were blanks, nobody was hurt. But nobody knew that and they fled."
Diaz was wrestled to the ground by two off-duty police officers seated near him, before security staff intervened.
"The people around me were scared," he added. "Then security guards came and got me and took me down a corridor next to a bar, where the police were.
"They checked my backpack, but they didn't pat me down, I had the gun in my waistband. Now I have to present myself [to the police] twice month and have a public order to keep me away from football stadiums and public spectacles."