BY TIM PARSONS
Manchester City have been charged after the national anthem was booed by fans in their game against Seville. Under Article 16.2 of Uefa’s disciplinary regulations which states that “all associations and clubs are liable for the following inappropriate behaviour on the part of their supporters and may be subject to disciplinary measures and directives even if they can prove the absence of any negligence in relation to the organisation of the match”.
The regulation notably includes “the disruption of national or competition anthems”.
The club have now been notified from the European governing body about the complaint, and the case is schedulled to be dealt at the next meeting of Uefa’s disciplinary body on November 19 next month.
City supporters have routinely booed the Uefa anthem at Champions League home games, contrary to its policy.
The dispute has been brewing for a while but reached boiling point last season, when Uefa decided to punish CSKA Moscow for their fans’ racism and violence by closing the stadium, in the process incurricosting many of the blues their
Many Blues had already bought visas and booked flights and hotels – but Uefa refused to countenance any form of compensation.
Their anger was further raised by the fact that CSKA fans flouted the stadium’s closure for last season’s Championship clash, whilst the blues were excluded from the stadium. Looks like a case of favouritism is at the heart of this dispute, and we will have to see what sanctions, if any, will be imposed.