Following the arrest of two fans in the FC Barcelona reserved area at Parc des Princes for allegedly making a Nazi salute and monkey-like gesture during last Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first-leg match against Paris Saint-Germain, UEFA has started disciplinary proceedings against the Catalan club.
According to L’Équipe (h/t Mundo Deportivo), PSG filed three complaints: the first for the promotion of war crimes, a second for public insult of a racist nature, and a final one against the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to possibly identify other perpetrators.
Dans nos stades, nous condamnons fermement de tels actes et appelons à des sanctions sévères contre ceux qui propagent le racisme. pic.twitter.com/yV7zG3K4kt
— Mookie (@MookieBarbu) April 10, 2024
“Paris Saint-Germain strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and wants to emphasize that they have no place neither in stadiums nor in society,” the club said in a statement. “Parc des Princes is a meeting place open to all football fans. Against racism and all forms of discrimination, we stand united as one team.”
These three complaints add to those also filed by the associations SOS Racism and Sportitude. Additionally, an investigation has been opened for the promotion of war crimes and public insults of a racist nature.
In the event of facing a significant penalty, Barcelona could be deprived of having away fans in the semifinals if they manage to advance to that round next Tuesday.
