France demands PSG explanation for 'Free Palestine' banner

Banner depicting a Hamas fighter, a tank and a Lebanese flag not provocative, says Uefa

Spectators spread out a banner reading "Free Palestine" prior to the UEFA Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Atletico Madrid, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. AFP

A giant “Free Palestine” banner unveiled at Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid was “unacceptable”, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Thursday as he called on the club to account for the incident.

The banner unfurled by PSG fans on Wednesday night featured a drawing of a map including Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza in the colours of the Palestinian keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people.

Also on the banner were a character resembling a masked fighter, a tank and a Lebanon flag. “War on the pitch, but peace in the world,” a message read below the banner.

Asked whether the club should be punished, Mr Retailleau told Sud Radio he did not rule out anything and will ask for an explanation from PSG, which has been owned by Qatar Sports Investments since 2011.

“I want explanations,” Mr Retailleau said. “This is unacceptable,” he added. “Uefa rules forbid political messages, and it is a political message.”

Yonathan Arfi, the president of the Representative Council of the French Jewish institutions, said the banner was “scandalous”.

“A map where the state of Israel no longer exists. A masked Palestinian fighter. This is not a message of peace but a call to hatred,” he wrote on X. “The perpetrators of this banner must be punished! Intolerable!”

However, Uefa, European football's governing body, said the club would not face sanctions as it only bans political messages deemed insulting or provocative. “There will therefore be no disciplinary case because the banner that was unfurled cannot … be considered provocative or insulting in that precise case,” a Uefa spokesperson said.

PSG said after the game that it had not been made aware of any plans to display such a message. “Paris St Germain [reiterates] that the Parc des Princes is – and must remain – a place of communion around a common passion for football and firmly opposes any message of a political nature in its stadium,” the club said in a statement.

Last year, Scottish club Celtic were fined €17,500 euros for fans' waving Palestinian flags at a Champions League match.

Uefa rules ban the use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit a provocative message that is judged not fit for a sports event, particularly provocative messages that are of a political, ideological, religious or offensive nature. Financial penalties are typical for a first offence – €10,000 ($10,700) for a political banner or disturbances.

Mr Retailleau also urged clubs to ensure politics “do not spoil sport, which must always remain a unifying force”. Writing on X, he said if such incidents happen again he would have to consider banning banner displays at clubs that do not abide by the rules.

France will host Israel on November 14 in the Nations League. This week, pro-Palestinian supporters protested at the French Football Federation, calling for the game to be cancelled.

French authorities confirmed last month that the match would go ahead with fans allowed in the stadium after Italy hosted Israel in the same competition without incident despite security concerns.

The match at the Stade de France will be played against the backdrop of the continuing conflict in the Middle East which has spread to Lebanon after more than a year of war in Gaza.