Real Madrid’s clash against Benfica was headlined by the racism episode in Lisbon – one where Vinicius Jr was allegedly insulted for his colour on the field by a Benfica player.
The controversy continued into the second leg played at the Santiago Bernabeu played one week later. It was, however, for different reasons.
Ahead of kickoff at the Santiago Bernabeu on the night, a Real Madrid fan in the fan stand was caught on camera gesturing a Nazi salute.
The club security immediately identified him, located and expelled him from the venue, but UEFA unsurprisingly took the incident seriously without turning a blind eye.
Sanctions imposed
Now, as confirmed by MARCA, UEFA has posed a sanction on Real Madrid for what happened in the stands against Benfica despite the club publicly condemning the fans’ actions.
The UEFA Control, Ethics and Discipline committee has ordered a partial closure of the Santiago Bernabeu for a match citing the ‘racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its fans.’
Real Madrid fined by UEFA over fan gesture. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
The closure will only come into effect if an episode of racism or discrimination recurs in the next year and will be applicable for the next game after that. Concurrently, Los Blancos have been fined €15,000 with immediate effect.
By partial closure, UEFA imply closure of a section of 500 seats adjacent to the lower south stand in the stadium, as clarified by the official statement.
Los Blancos, needless to say, must now be very alert to any such future incidents in the stands that could force the sanction to come into practice.
After all, they have taken a very strong stance against racism in any form, and it will not paint a pretty picture of them in any sense to be caught up in the same situation themselves.
