FC Barcelona president speaks out on UEFA fine for Catalan flag issue
The president of FC Barcelona took a defiant stand Sunday against European soccer’s governing body, which has sanctioned the Spanish club after fans displayed pro-Catalan independence flags at the UEFA Champions League final in Berlin last month.
In an exclusive interview with the Insider, Josep Maria Bartomeu said the club has “always defended, and will always defend, freedom of speech. Futbol Club Barcelona has never banned its members or fans from expressing their thoughts and feelings in a peaceful manner in our stadium or when supporting our team when they travel.”
The response comes in reaction to a UEFA committee fining the club $33,000 on Thursday for a violation of guidelines prohibiting “the use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not fit for a sports event, particularly messages that are of a political, ideological, religious, offensive or provocative nature.”
In Washington ahead of Tuesday’s preseason friendly against Premier League champion Chelsea at FedEx Field, Bartomeu said the club will not comply with the ruling and ask for the case to be reviewed.
