UEFA has fined Real Madrid and ordered a suspended partial closure of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium after a supporter inside the stadium was filmed appearing to make a Nazi salute.
The European football governing body announced that the club must pay a fine of €15,000 (£13,000/$17,400) for what it described as the “racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters.”
In addition to the fine, the La Liga side has been instructed to close 500 adjacent seats in the lower south stand of the Bernabéu for one UEFA competition match.
However, the partial stadium closure has been suspended for a probationary period of one year, meaning the sanction will only be enforced if a similar offence occurs during that time.
The incident reportedly took place before Real Madrid’s recent UEFA Champions League victory over Benfica.
Following the incident, Real Madrid stated that the individual involved had been identified and removed from the stadium.
“Real Madrid condemns this type of gesture and expression that incites violence and hatred in sports and society,” the club said in a statement.
The disciplinary action comes amid heightened scrutiny over discriminatory behaviour in European football. A week before the Bernabéu incident, Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior alleged that he was racially abused by Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni during a match.
Prestianni was subsequently handed a one-match ban by UEFA after an investigation, and the sanction was upheld following an appeal from Benfica.
This marks the second recent disciplinary action by UEFA over alleged Nazi salute incidents during Champions League fixtures. Tottenham Hotspur were also fined €30,000 (£26,200/$35,100) after one of their supporters made a similar gesture during a match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
