Nyon, Switzerland, March 30, 2026
Photo: greekcitytimes.com
A Serbian soccer team was fined for, among other things, an Orthodox icon that its fans displayed in the crowd at a recent match.
The Union of European Football Associations’ Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) fined FC Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) a total of €95,500 (approx. $109,800) in its decisions of March 25, following a Europa League match held on February 26 at Rajko Mitić Stadium in Belgrade.
During the match against French club LOSC Lille, fans organized a large-scale tifo—a coordinated display in which supporters use colored cards, banners, and choreographed movement to create a visual effect across a stadium section. The display, organized by the ultras group Delije Sever, featured a mosaic of St. Simeon the Myrrh-flowing (Stefan Nemanja), the 12th-century founder of the Serbian state, whose feast day fell on the day of the match.
The display was accompanied by a banner reading “May our faith lead you to victory.”
The CEDB cited the tifo under two provisions of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations: “transmitting a message that is not fit for a sports event” (Art. 16(2)(e)) and “bringing the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute” (Art. 11(2)(d)), issuing a combined fine of €40,000 (approx. $46,000) for both violations. The remaining €55,500 of the total fine was issued for separate infractions: lighting of fireworks (€17,000), throwing of objects (€10,500), and blocking of public passageways (€28,000).
Red Star lost the match 0–2, exiting the competition with a 1–2 aggregate result.
In response, Greek MEP Emmanouil Fragkos announced on March 27 that he had formally submitted a letter to the European Commissioner for Sport raising concerns about UEFA’s enforcement of its regulations in relation to Orthodox Christian expression, arguing that selective enforcement of the rules reflects a double standard.
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