UEFA has fined Real Madrid and ordered a suspended partial closure of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium after a fan was spotted making a gesture resembling a Nazi salute.
UEFA announced that the club will have to pay €15,000 due to the “racist and/or discriminatory behavior of its supporters.”
In addition, Real Madrid was notified that 500 adjacent seats in the lower south stand of the Bernabéu must be closed for one UEFA competition match. The partial closure order has been suspended for a one-year trial period.
The incident occurred shortly before Real Madrid’s recent Champions League victory over Benfica. The club stated that the fan in question has been identified and removed from the stadium, adding in a statement: “Real Madrid condemns this type of gesture and expression that incites violence and hatred in sport and society.”
This is the second penalty recently imposed by UEFA over allegations of “Nazi salutes” in Champions League matches, after Tottenham Hotspur were fined €30,000 after one of their fans made the same gesture during a match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
