Real Madrid could get a partial stadium closure for homophobic abuse aimed at Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The singing, which has been a frequent characteristic of the visits of Guardiola on the Santiago Bernabeuer as a Barcelona player has been punished for the first time by UEFA.
According to Sport, Real Madrid received a fine of € 30k and received a conditional punishment of a partial stadium ban in the coming two years. If fans at the Bernabeu again infringe in regulations, then Los Blancos will have to close 500 seats for the next match in the European competition, a relatively light punishment.
The number broke the UEFA instructions, where a person or group is insulted on the basis of their race, religion, origin, skin color or gender, the responsible club is confronted with “a suspension that lasts at least ten games or a certain time or another suitable sanction.”
The song in question could be heard loudly during the 3-1 victory of Real Madrid over Manchester City in the play-off of the Champions League. 'Ay, Guardiola, how thin you look. First it was the medicines. Today you can be seen around Chueca, “were the words for the singing.
It refers to the HIV AIDS crisis in the 1980s and 1990s under the gay community that took the life of so many. Chueca is a neighborhood in Madrid famous for his openness and the presence of the LGBTQ+ community, and although Guardiola was a Barcelona player, it was rumor that he was gay, something he later explained was false.
Real Madrid has moved in the past to condemn discrimination with public statements, but still has to comment on this. Given the number of fans involved, it seems unlikely that further action will be taken. Earlier in the season, various fans were banned from the stadium for racial abuse of Barcelona players.
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