after “Free Palestine”, Retailleau wants more controls on supporters’ tifos

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau stepped up after the deployment of a banner by PSG supporters entitled “Free Palestine” (Free Palestine).

A political message that causes a stir. Before the PSG-Atlético de Madrid meeting at the Parc des Princes in Paris, the Collectif ultras Paris (CUP) rolled out an XXL 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”.

An action by the supporters which did not fail to make many people react. “Paris Saint-Germain recalls that the Parc des Princes is – and must remain – a place of communion around a common passion for Football and firmly opposes any message of a political nature in its stadium,” assured the Parisian club which assures that it was not informed of the action of its supporters.

Retailleau plans to “ban”

The Minister of the Interior has decided to step up and demand accountability from PSG. “This tifo had no place in this stadium, and such messages are also prohibited by the regulations of the League and UEFA. If this were to be repeated, it will be necessary to consider banning tifos for the clubs that don't enforce the rules,” he wrote on X.

The Parisian club will, however, not be the subject of an investigation or sanction from European football authorities. UEFA considers that the banner does not prima facie contravene article 16.2.e of its disciplinary regulations. According to this text, clubs are responsible for their supporters in the event of “transmission by gesture, word, object or by any other means of any provocative message unsuitable for a sporting event, in particular any provocative message of a political, ideological, religious or insulting.”

“The stadium is by nature a political object”

“I understand that Bruno Retailleau needs to make people talk about him, to show off and throw up controversies every week, but no, it's absurd to ban banners. Football, the stadium is by nature a political object “, recalls sports economist Pierre Rondeau.

“It is absurd to want to condemn and put pressure by sanctioning freedom of expression,” he says.

“We would like all sports to be apolitical, but that cannot be, because sport is a mirror of society,” analyzes journalist Emmanuelle Dancourt.

Fred Hermel, columnist at Estelle Midibelieves for his part that more regulation is still needed in this area so that clubs can no longer free themselves from their supporters.

“We should not ban banners but they must be controlled by the clubs so that they are criminally liable if there is a complaint,” he judges.