Bilbao goalkeeper hit by bottle

Bilbao keeper Armando is helped on to the stretcher

Spanish side Athletic Bilbao want tough action to be taken after their keeper Armando was hit in the face by a bottle thrown from the stands at Real Betis.

Bilbao had just taken a 2-1 lead when a plastic bottle full of liquid hit Armando as he went to retrieve a ball.

The keeper was stretchered off and had stitches for a cut just below his right eye while referee Carlos Gomez abandoned the game after 72 minutes.

"It is time to take drastic action," said a statement on Bilbao's website.

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It is not the first time there have been problems at the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera stadium.

Last season, Tottenham manager Juande Ramos, then coach of Sevilla, was knocked out after being hit by a bottle thrown from the stands during a King's Cup quarter-final match there.

That game was abandoned and the remaining 33 minutes played behind closed doors at Getafe's stadium while Betis were given a three-match stadium ban.

But Bilbao argue stadium bans are not working.

"We cannot put the players at risk debating whether there should be a two or 120-match stadium ban," the club's statement continued.

"What hurts are the points.

"The Spanish league must not hold back. It is time to be European and to take drastic action."

Betis condemned the incident on their website saying: "The aggressor was immediately detained by the stadium's private security and will be prevented from attending future sporting events."

In December, Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas was hit by an object thrown from the crowd during a league match at Bilbao's San Mames stadium.

Bilbao were fined 600 euros (£460).