GENEVA (AP) — Real Madrid lost its appeal against UEFA at sports’ highest court after being fined for fans singing a homophobic chant at Pep Guardiola during a Champions League game against Manchester City.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s judges decided the chant “was of a severe discriminatory nature … to be considered as far more serious and damaging than acceptable satire and banter.”
The court’s detailed verdict has now been published to explain the appeal dismissal by three judges dated April 14. Madrid had challenged a fine of 30,000 euros ($35,000) and a two-year probation order to close a small section of its stadium at one Champions League game.
When Madrid hosted Man City in February last year, some of its fans chanted that Guardiola was thin, took drugs and would be seen in the Spanish capital’s most gay-friendly neighborhood. An expert witness at court linked this to suggesting the former Barcelona coach was “infected with HIV/AIDS,” the verdict stated.
Madrid’s lawyers suggested “expressions that are humorous, exaggerated or aimed at powerful institutions or public figures” should be analyzed in context.
Soccer’s troubled history
UEFA lawyers argued to CAS homophobia has “cast a long and deeply troubling shadow” over soccer.
“For decades, the sport has been marred by a culture of machismo, exclusion, prejudice, and hostility towards individuals based on their sexual orientation,” the European soccer body’s lawyers said.
“This persistent intolerance has impacted the personal and professional lives of countless players, coaches and fans and also led to tragic outcomes in the past,” UEFA said in the judges’ 38-page summary.
Real Madrid vs. UEFA legal fixtures
The appeal hearing was held in Lausanne, Switzerland last September while Madrid and UEFA were still in a yearslong legal dispute over the failed Super League launch. One month later, Madrid said it would seek “substantial damages” from UEFA.
UEFA lawyers argued in Lausanne, the judges wrote, that Madrid “should be the first fighting against those chants, instead of hiring high profile lawyers to file an appeal with the CAS.”
UEFA noted the fine was just 0.03% of Madrid’s Champions League prize money of more than 100 million euros ($117 million) for that season.
The chant during the second half of Madrid’s 3-1 win in the knockout playoffs, second leg last season was filmed in a clip later posted on social media.
The video was sent to UEFA as evidence by the Fare Network, which also works with FIFA at the World Cup to monitor discrimination through chants, symbols and slogans at games in international competitions.
Real Madrid’s defense
Madrid lawyers said the report by Fare experts “suffers from very serious formal and substantive defects,” the verdict said.
When UEFA first judged the case in February 2025, Madrid submitted the chant could have been sung by Man City supporters.
Madrid and UEFA resolved their separate Super League dispute three months ago while CAS judges were processing their verdict in the homophobic abuse case.
Before Madrid hosted Man City again in the Champions League in March, club officials reportedly met with fan groups to ensure Guardiola was not targeted for abuse.
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