Real Madrid could face a partial stadium closure for homophobic abuse aimed at Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The chant, which has been a frequent feature of Guardiola’s visits to the Santiago Bernabeu since his time as a Barcelona player has been punished for the first time by UEFA.
According to Sport, Real Madrid have been fined €30k and given a suspended sentence of a partial stadium ban for the next two years again. Should fans at the Bernabeu infringe on regulations again, then Los Blancos will have to close off 500 seats for the following game in European competition, being a relatively light punishment.
The song broke UEFA regulations, where if any person or group is insulted on the basis of their race, religion, origin, skin colour or gender, then the club responsible will face “a suspension lasting at least ten games or a specified period of time, or any other appropriate sanction.”
The song in question could be heard loudly on multiple occasions during Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Manchester City in the Champions League play-off. “Ay, Guardiola, how thin you look. First it was the drugs. Today you can be seen around Chueca,” were the words to the chant.
It references the HIV Aids crisis in the 1980s and 1990s amongst the gay community, which took the lives of so many. Chueca is a neighbourhood in Madrid famed for its openness and the presence of the LGBTQ+ community, and while Guardiola was a Barcelona player, it was rumoured that he was homosexual, something he later explained was false.
Real Madrid have moved to condemn discrimination in the past with public statements, but are yet to comment on the matter. Given the number of fans involved, it seems unlikely that further action will be taken. Earlier in the season, several fans were banned from the stadium for racially abusing Barcelona players.
