UEFA fines Serbian footballers for chant about Orthodox faith

A banner with the inscription "May our faith lead you to victory" at the stadium in Belgrade. Photo: orthodoxianewsagency

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has fined the Serbian club "Crvena Zvezda" for displays of faith by fans during a Europa League match, which allegedly damaged the reputation of the competition. This is reported by rts.rs website.

During the game against French club "Lille," held on February 26, 2026 in Belgrade, fans unfurled a banner with an image of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Streaming, whose feast day the Church was celebrating on that day, and the inscription: "May faith lead you to victory."

UEFA regarded this as a "political message" violating the organization's regulations. In total, following the match, the amount of fines for the footballers was 95 thousand euros, including sanctions for using pyrotechnics and other violations.

As reported, the largest part of the fine amounting to 40,000 euros was imposed for "inappropriate messages and content" which, according to UEFA's assessment, "damage the reputation of the tournament and organization."

As the UOJ wrote, football federations of Egypt and Iran sent a letter to FIFA demanding the cancellation of an LGBT action at their group stage match of the 2026 World Cup.

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