THE’UEFA will not take any legal action against the Paris Saint Germain for the pro-Palestinian banner displayed by some of his supporters on Wednesday evening before the Champions League match against Atletico Madrid (1-2). “There will be no disciplinary action as the displayed banner cannot be considered provocative or offensive in this specific case,” the UEFA spokesperson told theAFP.
Article 16.4 of the European body’s disciplinary regulations allows for the sanctioning of “any provocative message not suitable for a sporting event”, in particular “any provocative message of a political, ideological, religious or offensive nature”. It therefore does not ban all political proclamations from football pitches, but only those deemed “provocative” or offensive: a criterion applied, for example, to homophobic banners and chants, as well as to the monkey screams of Hungarian fans during Euro 2021.
Before the kick-off of PSG-Atlético, the Virage Auteuil ultras unfurled an imposing banner with the message “Free Palestine”, around the red and blue colors of PSG, with a bloody Palestinian flag, the flag of Lebanon, of Jerusalem, tanks and a person wearing a keffiyeh. “War on the field but peace in the world”, it read. Another message then appeared in the evening: “Is the life of one child in Gaza worth less than another?
In a statement, the club said it was “not aware of any plans to display such a message” and was “firmly opposed to any political message in its stadium”. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau promptly 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 source of unity. This support does not had place in this stadium, and such messages are prohibited by League and UEFA regulations,” he wrote on his account X. “If it happens again, we will have to consider banning supporters from clubs that don’t enforce the rules.” Sports Minister Gil Avérous followed suit on X, calling on PSG to “respect the rules” of the competitions “in which it is involved”.