Does UEFA ban all political tifos?

Wednesday evening before the Champions League meeting between PSG and Atlético de Madrid (1-2), Parisian supporters deployed a huge “Free Palestine” tifo in the Auteuil corner, with a bloody Palestinian flag, the flag of Lebanon, Jerusalem, tanks or even a person wearing a keffiyeh. A map of the region without the State of Israel was also displayed. “It is unacceptable, this tifo had no place in this stadium”, reacted the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau this Thursday morning, adding that “such messages are prohibited by the regulations of the League and the ‘UEFA’.

Fake off

The Minister of the Interior therefore calls on the UEFA regulations to establish possible sanctions against the Parisian club. Requested by 20 Minutesthe European body refers to article 16 of its disciplinary regulations, “in particular point 2”. The latter establishes that “all member associations and clubs are responsible for cases of misconduct by their supporters and are liable to disciplinary measures and directives even if they can prove that they have not committed any form of negligence in the organization of the match.

The following is a list of situations that fall within this definition. The fifth refers to “the 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 nature”.

It was the “political nature” of the supporters’ banner that made Bruno Retailleau react, as well as the Minister of Sports Gilles Avérous. “It is not a message of peace but a call to hatred”, contested for his part the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France, Yonathan Arfi, denouncing a “scandalous banner”.

What is PSG’s position?

In his media intervention Thursday morning, the Minister of the Interior demanded “accounts” from Parisian leaders, that is to say, explanations on how this tarpaulin was able to enter the Parc des Princes. In a press release sent to AFP on Wednesday evening, PSG indicated “that they were not aware of the plan to display such a message”. Not enough to satisfy, undoubtedly, the need for a response from state representatives.

UEFA’s update

Thursday during the day, the organizing body of the Champions League announced that it would not initiate any proceedings against PSG. “There will be no disciplinary case since the banner displayed cannot be considered provocative or insulting in this specific case,” explained a spokesperson to AFP. Not all political messages are sanctioned, only those deemed “provocative”.

Are there any precedents?

In October 2023, during the reception of AC Milan, the Collectif ultras Paris (CUP) had already deployed some smaller banners in support of Palestine. UEFA did not sanction, unlike Celtic Glasgow, which was fined 17,500 euros at the end of 2023 after the display of numerous Palestinian flags and a message calling for “victory for the Resistance” by its supporters.

In 2022, during a Europa Conference League match against the Azerbaijani club Qarabag, OM had to pay a fine of just over 40,000 euros for a banner proclaiming that the Artsakh region, in Upper Qarabag belonged to Armenia.

In the recent past, UEFA has also sanctioned clubs or Federations, but for racist behavior by its supporters. Last April, for example, FC Barcelona was fined 25,000 euros and banned from selling tickets for its next away match in the European Cup after Catalan fans were pinned down for saluting. Nazis during the Champions League quarter-final first leg against PSG.

What next for PSG on French soil?

If it will not be worried at the European level, the management of PSG will still be heard at the Ministry of the Interior on Friday. The club’s general director, Victoriano Melero, was summoned to Place Beauvau at 10 a.m., where he will be received by Othman Nasrou, Secretary of State for Citizenship and the Fight against Discrimination. The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, must also be present.