UEFA will not take any sanctions against PSG after the “Free Palestine” tifo deployed by the Virage Auteuil ultras during the Champions League match against Atlético de Madrid, Wednesday at the Parc des Princes (1-2). The European body considers that this message cannot be considered “provocative” or “insulting”.
UEFA will not initiate any proceedings against PSG for the pro-Palestinian tifo deployed Wednesday evening by some of its supporters before the Champions League match against Atletico de Madrid (1-2), the body indicated this Thursday to AFP. “There will be no disciplinary case since the banner displayed cannot be considered provocative or insulting in this specific case,” said his spokesperson.
Article 16.4 of the European body's disciplinary regulations allows for the sanctioning of “any provocative message unsuitable for a sporting event”, in particular “any provocative message of a political, ideological, religious or insulting nature”. It therefore does not ban all political proclamations from football venues, but only those deemed “provocative” or offensive, a criterion for example applied to homophobic banners and chants, as well as to the monkey cries of Hungarian supporters during Euro 2021 .
Before the PSG-Atlético kick-off, the Virage Auteuil ultras rolled out an imposing tifo with the message “Free Palestine”, around the red and blue colors of PSG, with a bloody Palestinian flag, the flag of Lebanon, Jerusalem , tanks or even a person wearing a keffiyeh. The immense canvas bearing drawings and covering the entire Auteuil stand topped a banner “War on the ground but peace in the world”. Another message came out a little later in the evening: “Is the life of a child in Gaza worth less than another?”
The government condemns the pro-Palestinian tifo
The club assured in a press release that it had no “awareness of the plan to display such a message”, and said it was “firmly opposed to any message of a political nature in its stadium”. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the initiative of the Parisian ultras. “I ask PSG to explain themselves and the clubs to ensure that politics does not damage sport, which must always remain a catalyst for unity. This tifo had no place in this stadium, and such messages are also prohibited by the regulations of the League and UEFA”, he wrote on his X account. “If this were to be repeated, it will be necessary to consider banning tifos for clubs which do not enforce the rules.”
Sports Minister Gil Avérous added to X by calling on PSG to “respect the rules” of the competitions “in which it is engaged”. “No to unacceptable excesses in the stands of our stadiums. Sports fields must not become political forums,” he said.
