Sevilla's LaLiga match with Atlético Madrid was briefly suspended on Sunday after fans threw pieces of card onto the pitch as part of a protest against the club's president and board.

Fans at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán are unhappy with the management of president José María del Nido Carrasco, and hundreds had gathered outside the stadium earlier to stage a protest ahead of kick-off.

Midway through the second half, fans in the north stand held up yellow cards and displayed a banner calling for "Junior" -- a nickname for Del Nido Carrasco -- to resign, and then threw the pieces of card onto the pitch.

Referee Cesar Soto Grado paused play for several minutes while stewards and other stadium staff could clean up, with card littering Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak's penalty area.

The crowd was twice asked to refrain from throwing objects onto the pitch in announcements made over the stadium speakers.

Sevilla are 11th in LaLiga, and lost the Seville Derby 2-1 to fierce rivals Real Betis last weekend, their first league defeat in the fixture since 2018.

In recent years Del Nido Carrasco has been involved in a series of confrontations with his father -- the club's ex-president -- José María del Nido Benavente, who is also a major shareholder and has sought to return to the position.

Sevilla have been one of Spain's most successful clubs this century, winning seven Europa Leagues -- most recently in 2023 -- but have struggled in LaLiga in recent seasons.