Fandiño’s death came less than a year after another high-profile fatality in the bullring: Spanish matador Víctor Barrio, who was gored to death during a televised event — the first matador to die in Spain in three decades.
Bullfighting remains a highly controversial tradition. Though banned in some regions, it was declared legal in France in 2012, with courts ruling it part of the country’s local cultural heritage. Spain, too, continues to protect the practice, despite growing calls from animal rights advocates for a total ban.
