24.11.2024 Freedom for Palestine is not a sports message. Political provocations have no place in the stadium; society no longer accepts such things. French Sports Minister on PSG fans` banner

The French Minister of Sports spoke out against the political actions of fans. In particular, he reacted to what happened at PSG with Atlético Madrid (1:2) in the 4th round of the Champions League.
Before the start of the game, PSG fans showed a huge banner with the inscription Freedom for Palestine.  War on earth, but peace in the whole world. The banner also featured the Lebanese flag.
– Hanging banners at the stadium is an exception to the rule. This has always been done on the basis of trust in the clubs and this must continue. We talked about the political nature of the banner unfurled at the match against Atlético. Like it or not, this was not a sports message.
– Yes, but freedom of speech must be taken into account, and, moreover, UEFA did not support you and does not consider this banner to be provocative or offensive.
– But it cannot be said that in France it did not cause a certain stir. Freedom for Palestine is not a sports message.
The point is that political provocations have no place in the stadium or, in a broader sense, on the sports field, just like violence.
I also want to point out the following: we are talking about PSG because it is widely covered in the media, but they are a fairly exemplary club in terms of order in the stadium, there has not been violence at the Parc des Princes for a long time. It`s a little unfair to attack PSG because they are trying very hard.
And I rather support the fans. The more fans there are in the stadium, the more joy there will be, and the happier I will be. On the other hand, I do not tolerate excesses.
Once again: sport should unite, not humiliate. No one should go to the stadium with the fear of hearing chants. . .
– What about sanctions?
– I believe that when we resort to a temporary suspension of the match, this is already a failure, that is, something happened that should not have happened.
We must restore calm. We need chants, support, but there are things that we should no longer accept, that society no longer accepts, ” said French Sports Minister Gilles Averu.