UEFA has levied a fine on Real Madrid and mandated a suspended partial closure of the Santiago Bernabéu after a video emerged showing a supporter appearing to perform a Nazi salute in the stands.
The governing body for European football has imposed a penalty of €15,000 (£13,000/$17,400) on the club for the "racist and/or discriminatory conduct of its fans."
Moreover, the LaLiga team has been required to close off 500 seats in the lower southern section of the Bernabéu for one match in UEFA competitions.
This partial closure of the stadium will be held in abeyance for a probationary period of one year.
The incident occurred prior to Real Madrid's recent Champions League match against Benfica, which they won.
Real Madrid has stated that they have identified the fan involved and removed him from the stadium.
"Real Madrid strongly condemns any gestures or expressions that incite violence and hatred in both sports and society," the club declared at the time.
Just a week before this incident, Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior claimed that he experienced racial abuse from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni.
Prestianni faced a one-match suspension from UEFA as a consequence of the investigation into the claims, a decision that was upheld following Benfica's appeal.
This incident marks the second recent sanction imposed by UEFA in response to reported Nazi salutes during Champions League matches.
Tottenham Hotspur was previously fined €30,000 (£26,200/$35,100) after one of their fans was seen making a similar gesture during a game against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to comment.
Be the first to comment on this article!