Atlético Madrid supporters are planning to protest against Uefa following their decision to ban the Spanish club from hosting three home fixtures, the first initially being their clash with Liverpool.
Uefa eventually back tracked and made the right decision to suspend the ban, but Atlético fans remain angry at the way the situation was handled and deny any allegations of racist abuse.
The protest is called “Da la espalda a la UEFA” (Give your back to UEFA) and fans are planning to turn their backs on the pitch and boo during the playing of the Champions League theme tune prior to kick off.
Atlético fans believe the accusation of racist chanting is false, with the chanting of ‘Kun, Kun, Kun’ referring to star striker Kun Agüero rather than any racist behaviour.
One Atletico fan wrote in our forums:
Uefa found that Atlético failed to arrange an adequate police escort to and from the Vicente Calderón Stadium (no racism there), that Atlético hooligans attacked the Marseilles team bus (again, no racism, just mindless violence), that there were inadequate provisions for disabled supporters (hardly racist, just ignorant and insensitive), that Aguirre (Atlético’s coach) repeatedly abused and insulted Mathieu Valbuena, the Marseilles midfielder (again, no racism: Valbuena is white) and that local police and stewards were ‘œheavy-handed’ in their treatment of visiting supporters.
Whatever racism was involved surfaced in the final two charges:
That there was inadequate security in the press area, allowing some fans racially to abuse two black journalists, and that a section of the support engaged in monkey chants.
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The protest is being organised by the website La Vida en Rojiblanco (Life in Red and White).
