Paris Saint-Germain could be sanctioned by the French government over a banner held up by their fans before their Champions League game against Atletico Madrid. A section of the crowd displayed their support for Palestine with a giant tifo ahead of kick-off.
A large banner with the words ‘FREE PALESTINE’ was unfurled behind one of the goals prior to the start of the match. On the banner, the ‘i’ in Palestine was shaped like a map of Israel in the colours of a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf.
It also included artwork of a bloodied Palestinian flag in addition to a child wearing a shirt with imagery from the flag of Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting the Hezbollah terrorist group.
A smaller banner held up beneath the giant tifo read: “War on the pitch, but peace in the world.” During the match, another message was displayed which posed the question: “Does a child’s life in Gaza mean less than another?”
French interior minister Bruno Retailleau has refused to rule out the possibility of PSG being sanctioned for the banners, telling radio station Sud Radio: “I am not ruling out anything. I will demand explanations from PSG.”
The club said they were not made aware of ‘any plans to display such a message’ in the stands before the match, according to The Telegraph.
In a statement, they added: “Paris Saint-Germain recalls that the Parc des Princes is, and must remain, a place of communion around a common passion for soccer and firmly opposes any message of a political nature in its stadium.”
Clubs have previously been fined for similar instances of their fans showing support for Palestine. Last year, Celtic were ordered to pay £14,500 by UEFA after supporters waved Palestinian flags during a Champions League match.
The governing body accused Celtic fans of displaying ‘provocative messages of an offensive nature’ and the Scottish giants were fined another £10,000 for supporters blocking passageways and using pyrotechnics.
The incident at PSG came just days before France’s game against Israel at the Parc des Princes, which is set to take place next week. Fans will be permitted to attend but security concerns have been raised ahead of the Nations League fixture.
Belgium were recently forced to play their home game against Israel in Hungary, citing organisational challenges. A statement read: “No local administration deemed it possible to organise the Red Devils’ home match against Israel.”
