The harrowing final moments of Spanish matador Iván Fandiño continue to haunt viewers and fuel renewed debate about the controversial tradition of bullfighting. The 36-year-old bullfighter, renowned for his fearless approach in the ring, died in 2017 after being gored during a festival performance in southwest France.
Fandiño, a veteran of the sport from Spain’s Basque Country, was performing at the Aire-sur-l’Adour bullfighting festival when tragedy struck. Known for his bold style and willingness to take on the fiercest bulls, Fandiño had already fought earlier that day before stepping back into the ring for a second round.
A fatal misstep in the ring
During his final bout, Fandiño’s cape became entangled around his feet as he attempted to maneuver the bull. Though his first pass succeeded, the second proved fatal. As he stumbled, the half-tonne animal charged; its horn piercing his chest and injuring several vital organs, including his lungs.
Video and photographs from the arena show the horrifying aftermath: Fandiño, gravely wounded but still conscious, being lifted away by fellow matadors as others rushed in to distract the bull. Witnesses recalled the matador whispering what would become his final words while being carried from the ring, via Joe: “Hurry up, I’m dying.”
He reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest en route to the hospital and was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
A shock to the bullfighting world
The shocking death sent ripples through Spain and France, marking the first fatal goring of a matador in France in nearly a century, the last occurring in 1921. Fellow bullfighter Juan del Álamo, who later killed the bull, said he was in disbelief. “None of us understand how it could have happened,” he told reporters. “It was all so fast.”
Fandiño was no stranger to danger. He had endured multiple serious injuries throughout his career, being thrown by a bull in Pamplona in 2015 and knocked unconscious in Bayonne the year before, per BBC News. His death, however, only highlighted the ever-present risks of a sport that has long been both revered and reviled.
A tradition under fire
The tragedy reignited heated discussions about bullfighting’s place in modern society. While animal rights activists condemned the event as another example of needless cruelty, traditionalists mourned the loss of a courageous matador who embodied Spain’s historic art form.
In France, bullfighting remains legal after the Constitutional Council’s 2012 decision recognizing it as part of the nation’s cultural heritage, France24 reported. More than 1,000 bulls are killed each year in French arenas, particularly in cities like Nîmes and Arles.
Spain, too, continues to protect the spectacle, officially declaring bullfighting part of its “cultural heritage” despite growing public opposition. Some regions (including Catalonia and the Canary Islands) have enacted bans, but the tradition endures elsewhere.
Remembering Iván Fandiño
Following Fandiño’s death, tributes poured in from across Spain and the bullfighting community. The Spanish royal family and the prime minister both expressed condolences, honoring not only a skilled matador but a man who symbolized the passion (and peril) at the heart of a centuries-old debate.