UEFA announced this Friday an economic sanction of 15,000 euros to Real Madrid after the behavior of a fan during the second leg of the Champions League playoffs against Benfica. The body that governs European football considers it proven that a supporter made a Nazi salute during the match, a scene that was captured by television cameras and that motivated the opening of disciplinary proceedings.
The incident occurred at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, during one of the white team's most recent matches in European competition.
Real Madrid identified and expelled the fan from the stadium
After what happened, Real Madrid itself explained that it quickly identified the person responsible for the gesture and that he was expelled from the stadium by security personnel. According to what the club reported, the internal disciplinary committee was asked to initiate an immediate expulsion procedure for the fan.
"The individual was identified by the club's security personnel moments after appearing on the broadcast and was immediately expelled from the Santiago Bernabéu stadium," explained the white entity after the incident.
UEFA Warning: partial closure of the Bernabéu if it happens again
In addition to the financial fine, UEFA has issued a direct warning to the club: if racist or discriminatory behavior by the fans is repeated, a harsher sanction will be activated. The European body has ordered the partial closure of the stadium, specifically 500 seats located next to the lower south stand, where the so-called Grada Fans is located.
The sanction is suspended for one year, so it will only be applied if a recurrence occurs.
The next Champions match will not have restrictions
Real Madrid will play its next Champions League match on March 11 against Manchester City, corresponding to the round of 16 of the competition. In that match there will be no public restrictions, as the partial stadium closure sanction would only come into effect if UEFA detects new incidents of this type in the future