Amid an uptick in racist and discriminatory behaviour in Spanish football, Barcelona are considering passing the cost on to their fans. The Blaugrana are weighing up whether to take a much tougher stance if their fans are found guilty.
As Real Madrid try to root out the racists who abused several Barcelona players, and police hand out fines and bans to a number of Atletico Madrid fans, Barcelona are considering much harsher measures. Last season Barcelona paid €21k in fines for discriminatory behaviour from their fans, and most recently, UEFA banned the Blaugrana from selling away tickets for their trip to Red Star Belgrade for an anti-semitic Nazi banner seen at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. They were also hit with a €10k fine.
Real Sociedad want to sign Eric García in January. @superdeporte_es pic.twitter.com/WQ4SIg72h2
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Sport say that if fans in the singing section are found guilty of disciminatory behaviour, Barcelona are thinking about potentially making the fans pay for it. Even more severe, Barcelona would also be open to the idea of a self-imposed partial stadium closure of the singing section, were they to be found guilty of that sort of abuse, as has been imposed on Atletico for their fans throwing objects at Thibaut Courtois. It should be noted that the Catalan paper have since deleted the article.
It would be the first punishment of its kind in Spanish football, although it is not yet clear exactly how they intend to enforce or carry out these measures, and indeed the legality of it. If tried to fine fans that were not guilty of the crime, that would clearly be overstepping the mark. However it would be a refreshingly harsh stance on discrimination in Spanish football, were a self-imposed partial stadium closure to come to pass.
