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Uefa have banned Barcelona fans from buying tickets for the side’s next Champions League away match against Red Star Belgrade.
The governing body also confirmed a fine of €10,000 (£8,332) due to the “racist behaviour of supporters” during their 2-1 loss to Monaco in last week’s opening round of fixtures.
“The charges against Barca relate to racism and/or other discriminatory conduct, per Art. 14(2) of UEFA’s Disciplinary Regulations,” Uefa said in a statement on Friday.
Barca away supporters have also been handed an additional one-match ban that is suspended for one year after two separate incidents of racism.
Last April’s Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain is the first incident cited, which saw Barca fined €25,000 (£20,830) by Uefa after fans were spotted making racist gestures, including Nazi salutes.
A similar occurrence happened during the Monaco game, which saw an image of a fan holding up a sign featuring Nazi symbolism. Barca vice president Elena Fort moved quickly to publicly state her disgust with the behaviour, calling it “disgraceful”.
The club also responded to Uefa’s punishment by confirming they will abide by the rules and issue refunds to fans who have already purchased tickets, while also stating they will “undertake additional actions that are appropriate in order to prevent these events from being repeated in the future as well as sanctioning those responsible.”
The match against Red Star will be Barca’s fourth of the Champions League campaign, with home fixtures against Young Boys and Bayern Munich to come beforehand.
As reported by Sky Sports, Belgrade have also been punished by UEFA for racism in the past and were ordered to play a game behind closed doors in 2021 after Zlatan Ibrahimovic was abused while playing for Milan.
Source: independent.co.uk
