The Minister of the Interior condemns the tifo deployed by PSG supporters in support of the Palestinians

“This tifo had no place in this stadium. » The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, strongly criticized, Thursday, November 7, the tifo in support of the Palestinians set up by supporters of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), before the Champions League match against Atlético of Madrid, at the Parc des Princes.

“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”wrote the tenant of Place Bauveau on his X account. Then added, shortly after, on Sud Radio: “I want to know more, to know how this tarpaulin arrived, how it could have been deployed… I had the police chief tell me what had happened. We have agreed on a number of things, but I demand accountability. Solemnly. »

Mr. Retailleau indicated that no appointment had yet been made with the club. He also promised sanctions if PSG was not capable of cracking down.

A few minutes before the start of the match, the members of the Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP), the largest group of PSG supporters, held up this tifo on which was written « Free Palestine »while a poster, at the foot of the Auteuil stand, pleaded for “war on the ground but peace in the world”. Other banners – “ Is the life of one child in Gaza worth less than another? » – were deployed during the match by members of the CUP.

France-Israel at the Stade de France, on the 14th

The president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, Yonathan Arfi, reacted on X on Wednesday evening: “Scandalous banner this evening at the Parc des Princes! A map where the State of Israel no longer exists. A masked Palestinian fighter. This is not a message of peace, but a call to hatred. »

PSG was not aware of the content of the message contained in this tifo, specifies a source within the club, who wishes to emphasize “that the Parc des Princes is – and must remain – a place of communion around a common passion for football. PSG firmly opposes any message of a political nature in its stadium.”

“Such messages are also prohibited by the regulations of the League and UEFA [l’instance européenne du football]. If this happens again, we will have to consider banning tifos for clubs that do not enforce the rules.declared the Minister of the Interior again on Thursday.

UEFA, which prohibits any message of a political nature in stadiums, could sanction PSG. The European body opened a disciplinary case against the capital club, after a match against the Israeli club Maccabi Haifa, in October 2022, when members of the CUP unfurled a banner “Gaza exists, Gaza resists, Free Palestine”. However, PSG was not sanctioned.

In October 2023, during the match against AC Milan, Palestinian flags were brought out in the Auteuil stand, as well as banners in support of the Palestinians, two weeks after the Israeli response against the October 7 attacks. UEFA subsequently sanctioned PSG… but due to the use of smoke bombs in the stands.

This affair comes as the French football team faces the selection of the Hebrew State, on November 14, at the Stade de France, as part of the League of Nations. The organization of this match promises to be very tense in terms of security, given the international context.

Belgium had given up welcoming Israel in September; the meeting had been relocated to Hungary. In October, Italy hosted their duel in Udine, in a small stadium, with the establishment of a “red zone” 48 hours before kick-off and a reduced number of spectators (12,000 tickets sold for an enclosure with 25,000 seats). Last week, Bruno Retailleau reiterated that the meeting would be held in Saint-Denis, but he left the door open to a possible reduction in capacity and ensured the implementation of a reinforced system.