Idman.biz
UEFA's ethics, disciplinary and compliance body has fined Lisbon's Benfica 40,000 euros for racist behavior by its fans in the Champions League play-off match against Real Madrid.
Idman.Biz reports that this was reported on the organization's website.
On February 17, Real Madrid defeated Benfica 1-0 thanks to a goal by Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian celebrated his goal by dancing by the corner flag, which caused a negative reaction from the fans. As a result, the match was stopped for approximately 10 minutes due to a conflict between Vinicius and Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni. During this conflict, the Real Madrid player complained to the referee about racist insults. UEFA also decided to disqualify Prestianni for the return match, which Real Madrid won 2-1.
On March 25, the organization announced a fine for Benfica for the racist and/or discriminatory behavior of its fans. In addition, the club will be subject to a conditional partial closure of its 500-seat stadium for the next home game in UEFA competitions, with a probationary period of one year.
Additional decisions were also made: Benfica was fined 8,000 euros for the use of a laser pointer and 25,000 euros for throwing objects. Benfica assistant coach Pedro Luis Ferreira Machado was suspended for one UEFA club competition match for unsportsmanlike conduct.
