Real Madrid lose appeal against Uefa over homophobic Guardiola chants
Real Madrid have lost an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against a Uefa fine imposed after their supporters directed homophobic chants at Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
The highest court in world sport upheld the €30,000 (£25,000) penalty and a two-year probation order that requires the Spanish club to close a section of their stadium for one European fixture.
Judges ruled the discriminatory abuse was far more damaging than acceptable banter, officially dismissing the La Liga side’s legal challenge.
Severe discriminatory nature
The incident took place during a Champions League knockout tie between the two European heavyweights at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Video evidence submitted by the Fare Network showed sections of the home crowd targeting the former Barcelona head coach with severe homophobic slurs and baseless allegations regarding his health.
Lawyers representing the 15-time European champions controversially argued the chants should be viewed as humorous or exaggerated expressions aimed at a public figure.
They even suggested the travelling away supporters might have been responsible for the singing when European football’s governing body first assessed the case.
Persistent intolerance in football
Uefa’s legal team forcefully rejected those defences, arguing that homophobia continues to cast a deeply troubling shadow over the global game.
For decades, the sport has been marred by a culture of machismo, exclusion, prejudice, and hostility towards individuals based on their sexual orientation.
Representatives for the governing body stated this persistent intolerance has negatively impacted the personal and professional lives of countless players and coaches.
They also criticised the Madrid hierarchy for spending resources on high-profile lawyers to fight the sanction rather than actively combatting discrimination in the stands.
The financial penalty itself represents a mere 0.03% of the £85m prize money earned by Carlo Ancelotti’s team during that lucrative Champions League campaign.