Barcelona plan to fight UEFA fine for unofficial Catalan flags at Champions League final
Barcelona are angry with UEFA's decision to fine the club €30,000 after their fans had unofficial Catalan flags -- Estelades -- in the stands during the Champions League final.
They plan to fight the decision and are considering their options at the moment. The club released a statement reading:
FC Barcelona respects UEFA’s decision that was relayed to the Club on Thursday in relation to the Champions League final in Berlin, however, it does not agree with that decision, especially in the light of the UEFA delegate’s description of the Barça members and fans’ behaviour as excellent, both before, during and after the game, as stated in their report.
With the aim of defending the rights of the Club and its members and while respecting current legislation, the Club’s legal services will consider the possibility of questioning the fine announced today, Thursday. Our conviction is that the rights of the Club and members are not incompatible with current legislation.
Estelades are not recognised as official flags, rather as a support for Catalan independence. The Senyera is the official flag of Catalonia and UEFA have no problem with Barcelona fans taking them to European matches. The Senyera is just striped with no detail, while Estelades have a blue detail on the left of the flag and a star.
