Fans of Chelsea Football Club are no doubt quite familiar with silly regulations and decisions from football's governing bodies. The English FA have relied on Jose Mourinho to provide a good portion of their yearly operating budget, for example, recently fining the Chelsea manager £50,000 for saying a word.
Apparently UEFA are just as sensitive to certain words that appear not all that inciting at first glance. Though in their case, it's not even really a word, it's just a sound.
BREAKING: UEFA to charge Manchester City after fans boo Champions League anthem https://t.co/x6TJdH95r2
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) October 22, 2015
That's sure to stop the booing in the future, right?
It's not the first time Manchester City fans have done this -- I don't really know why they care to boo, or what they hope to accomplish with it -- but some match official decided to report them this time. And yes, there's an actual regulation in their bylaws that covers the booing of the "competition anthem".
Crazy but true: Article 16.2 g) of UEFA Disciplinary Code. Club's can be punished for "disruption of national or competition anthems" #MCFC
— Paul Kelso (@pkelso) October 22, 2015
So remember kids, no booing the theme song the next time you go to a Champions League match!
(While, it should be noted, there's not much chance of UEFA actually handing down a "major punishment", at least according to Sky sources, this is still a rather frivolous waste of everyone's time. Plus, you would think UEFA's lawyers are rather busy elsewhere, as they try to avoid going down with the FIFA mothership.)
On a slightly "better" note, UEFA are following through on reports of violence and racism among the Dynamo Kiev fans at the Chelsea match on Tuesday. Last season, Dynamo Kiev were charged twice (twice!) after similar incidents. Maybe time for harsher punishments there, instead of worrying about who's booing what song.
P.S.: There's no word on whether Manchester United will be charged for Bastian Schweinsteiger trying to literally eat racism out of the game.
No to racism @BSchweinsteiger #Schweinsteiger pic.twitter.com/TsOERLlyKQ
— Schweinsteiger Army (@Fussballgotter) October 22, 2015