By Mark Baber
October 22 – Disciplinary proceedings have been opened over Manchester City fans booing of the Champions League anthem ahead of their 2-1 win over Sevilla on Wednesday evening.
The booing of the Champions League anthem was detailed in a report by match delegate and chairman of the Iceland FA Geir Thorsteinsson, with UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body due to consider the matter on November 19.
Manchester City fans have been booing the Champions League anthem regularly as a protest against UEFA and following a number of decisions by the European governing body they they disapprove of.
City fans have been unhappy about the UEFA financial fair play regulations and the fining of the club in 2013 which have been perceived as a plot to prevent the club from joining Europe’s elite.
Media reports suggest hostility against UEFA may have been further exacerbated by the large number for CSKA supporters who managed to access the Khimki Arena stadium for a “closed doors” match after the Russian club was sanctioned for an incident of supporter racism, as well as the recent banning of UEFA president Michel Platini from football activities for 90 days, over a payment of £1.35 million delivered to him by FIFA boss Sepp Blatter.
It remains to be seen what kind of punishment UEFA will dispense on this matter, with any sanctions likely to be compared by fans and media to sanctions for racism and also seen as a contravention of European Convention on Human Rights guarantees of freedom of expression.
Dynamo Kyiv vs Chelsea
UEFA has separately opened disciplinary proceedings against Ukraine’s Dynamo Kyev following the UEFA Champions League group stage match played on October 20 in Ukraine.
Dynamo Kyiv: are charged with crowd disturbances, stairways blocked, and racist behaviour. The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will deal with this case on October 27.
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