Another match, another flag controversy for the UEFA Champions League — and this time Celtic supporters were innocent bystanders.
After the Green Brigade Celtic supporters group caused a stir last month by displaying Palestinian flags during the Hoops’ Champions League qualifier against Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Barcelona supporters decided to make flag waves of their own last Tuesday.
Prior to the first group stage match for both clubs at the Camp Nou, Blaugrana backers waved thousands of “esteladas”, flags of Catalonia, as the players took the field. Barcelona FC has long served as a symbol of Catalan pride for residents of the region of present-day Spain (Barcelona is the capital and largest city). Catalonia was a primary battleground during Spain’s bloody, three-sided civil war in the 1930s, and there has been an active and vocal independence movement within the province for decades.
UEFA has taken issue with the esteladas appearance during FCB matches in the past. The club was fined £30,000 following the 2015 Champions League final in Berlin, during which thousands of Blaugrana supporters displayed the controversial flag.
Domestically, the banner was banned for the most recent Copa del Rey final, against Sevilla, much to the chagrin of those in Barcelona. This season, UEFA announced plans to fine FCB £150,000 for allowing the flags at all Champions’s League matches, and Drets, the Catalan rights organization, has sued the federation over the matter.
El Camp Nou se convierte en una estelada. Bronca monumental del estadio al himno de la Champions #FCBCeltic pic.twitter.com/bE3BygYsJ6
— marcos lopez (@marcosperiodico) September 13, 2016
Catalan flags were in abundance at the Camp Nou just prior to kick-off, and Barca fans jeered the UEFA Champions League anthem.
In addition to Tuesday’s pre-match display, fans also waved the esteladas at the 17:14 mark of both halves to mark the end of of the Siege of Barcelona in 1714.
