PSG fans applauded for displaying Palestine solidarity banner
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) ultras took social media by storm after unfurling a massive “Free Palestine” banner before their Uefa Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
The display featured Palestinian and Lebanese flags, a person wearing a keffiyeh, Al-Aqsa Mosque and a historical map of Palestine alongside the message: "War on the field but peace in the world."
The banner was met with cheers at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, while video clips and images of the tifo quickly spread online, igniting both support and controversy.
On social media, many fans and activists praised PSG’s Collectif Ultras Paris (Cup) for the statement. One user shared a video of the tifo, calling it “beautiful”, while others called for more displays of solidarity with Palestinians at football matches.
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Some fans of PSG’s traditional foe, l’Olympique de Marseille, set aside team loyalties to support the message and applaud the gesture, with one X user joking: “Even we Marseillais validate this tifo.”
Meanwhile, some pro-Israeli users slammed the banner as "pro-Hamas" and "antisemitic".
The display comes over a year into Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed over 43,000 Palestinians and wounded 100,000 more, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
During a UEFA Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain fans raised a large banner reading “Free Palestine” in English, alongside a smaller one in French stating, “Battle on the field but peace in the world.” pic.twitter.com/KU1AeNauyZ
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) November 6, 2024
More than 10,000 Palestinians are missing, believed to be dead and buried under rubble.
Criticism from politicians
The tifo also sparked backlash from French officials and social media users.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the banner, arguing that such displays “do not belong in stadiums” and threatened the "unity" of sport.
France's minister of sports, Gil Averous, also weighed in, denouncing what he described as “unacceptable behaviour in our stadiums” and urging PSG to "respect competition regulations".
"Sports fields must not become political platforms. Respect for the rules and neutrality in stadiums is essential to preserve the spirit of sport: to unite, not to divide," he continued in a post on X.
The ministers' statements come days before France's Nations League match against Israel in Paris, raising concerns over potential displays of Palestinian solidarity from fans.
A recent game between Israel's Maccabi Haifa and Belgium’s Royal Antwerp was relocated to Hungary for security reasons and played behind closed doors, underscoring Uefa's heightened precautions amid the ongoing Israeli war.
Protester contre un génocide ce n’est pas de la politique, c’est simplement de l’humanité.
— YanisT🅾️crate NOUVEAU COMPTE (@YanisT0crate) November 7, 2024
Imaginez vos propres enfants se faire déchiqueter sous les bombes israéliennes.
Translation: Protesting genocide is not politics, it is simply humanity. Imagine your own children being torn to pieces by Israeli bombs.
The politicians' statements stirred further debate, with fans and commentators defending the tifo as an expression of solidarity rather than political agitation.
"This is not a message of division, but a message of peace and solidarity," commented one user under the sports minister's post on X. "Sport is a powerful vector of unity and respect, where each voice can contribute to carrying positive values."
PSG’s management distanced itself from the tifo after the match, saying it had “no prior knowledge” of the banner and underscoring that the stadium should remain a space for “shared passion around football”.
Ils ont réussi à gâcher leur seul Point Positif de la soirée.
— Le J ⚪️Ⓜ️ (@iZi_1313) November 6, 2024
Translation: They managed to ruin their only positive point of the evening.
On Thursday, Uefa announced it would not take disciplinary action against PSG. The football governing body told AFP that the banner "cannot be considered provocative or insulting in this context".
The same day, the president of the French Football Federation and the general director of PSG were summoned to the Ministry of the Interior for a meeting on Friday.
"Uefa's disciplinary regulations prohibit the broadcasting of political messages of a provocative nature in stadiums," read a letter from the secretary of state for citizenship and the fight against discrimination.
The PSG ultras also released a statement on social media.
"Following the various controversies concerning the entertainment in the stands last night, some clarifications from us are necessary," Cup said on Thursday evening.
"In no case was this tifo intended to convey a message of hate, on the contrary, the message that accompanied it is explicit and is a call for peace between peoples."
MEE has reached out to PSG for comment.
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