UEFA fines Real Madrid for Nazi salute in Bernabéu stands

UEFA, the European football governing body, fined Real Madrid €15,000 on Friday after a fan was caught performing a Nazi salute during the team’s Champions League playoff second leg against Benfica last week.

The Spanish club explained in an official statement that immediately after the match, it requested its disciplinary committee to take immediate action against the fan seen in television footage performing the Nazi salute in the stands of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.

The statement added that the club’s security staff were able to identify the fan moments after he appeared on the live broadcast, before he was immediately ejected from the stadium.

UEFA did not stop at the fine; it also imposed an additional penalty of partial stadium closure for one European match for Real Madrid, with the decision suspended for one year.

What is the Nazi salute? Historically, the Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, is a symbol associated with the Nazi regime that ruled Germany between 1933 and 1945 under Adolf Hitler.

This salute is performed by raising the right arm straight forward or upward, and is often accompanied by the phrase “Heil Hitler.”

This gesture is considered a symbol of hatred and right-wing extremism, and sports organizations sometimes take measures and impose penalties for attempts to display it in stadiums, as part of their policies against racism and discrimination.

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