Barcelona Will Appeal Uefa Flag Fine

The Catalan club have been punished for the second time in less than six months for the Esteladas carried by their fans at Champions League matches

Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre says the club will fight the €40,000 fine handed to them by Uefa for the Estelada flags flown by their fans in the recent Champions League game at Camp Nou against Bayer Leverkusen. 

The flags, which support the independence movement in Catalonia but are not deemed official or appropriate by Uefa, were also on display at last season’s Champions League final in Berlin. 

Uefa fined Barca €30,000 on that occasion, prompting talks between the La Liga champions and European football’s governing body. 

However, after Monday’s events, Mestre has admitted those talks have not been purposeful. 

“They’ve not gone down well because we have been given a €40,000 fine for the independence chants and the Esteladas,” the 53-year-old said upon his arrival in Minsk ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League game with BATE Borisov. 

“We started a diplomatic process which has not worked and we don’t like it. We had some conversations that have not provided results. 

“First we will speak with UEFA and we will go to the CAS [Court of Arbitration for Sport]; if necessary we will go to the ordinary court in Switzerland and maybe even the court in Strasbourg.” 

Despite being upset with Uefa’s decision, Mestre insists Barcelona are not looking for a fight with the organisation. 

“It is not a war, we only want to defend the interests of the club and we will never limit what our fans say, who have always been an example,” he added.