Article by Mihai Șovei – Published Friday, March 06, 2026, 2:08 p.m. / Updated Friday, March 6, 2026, 2:08 p.m.
UEFA has announced that it has imposed a fine of 15,000 euros on the Real Madrid club, but also the partial closure of a section of the south stand of the “Santiago Bernabeu” stadium, a measure which, for now, has a conditional nature.
The reason is the racist and discriminatory behavior of the team's fans during the second leg of the Champions League “play-off” against the Benfica team. In the event of another similar violation within a year, 500 seats in one of the stadium's sectors will be closed.
Real Madrid, fined 15,000 euros
The matches between Real and Benfica were marked by the theme of racism. During the first game, Vinicius Junior complained that he was racially insulted by Gianluca Prestianni, an incident that caused an echo in the world of football.
The investigation into the huge scandal is still ongoing and Real dedicated the second leg to the fight against racism by displaying a large banner at the 'Santiago Bernabeu' with the message “No to racism”. The irony was that, just then, the camera captured a supporter of the “Whites” allegedly giving a Nazi salute, and he was immediately evacuated from the stadium, according to ESPN. It is unclear whether this supporter's gesture alone led to this sanction.
The motivation for this decision was published on the official UEFA website on March 6.
UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) made the following decision:
Match: Real Madrid CF vs. SL Benfica (2:1), 25/02/2026, UEFA Champions League 2025/2026
Allegations against Real Madrid CF:
Fine the Real Madrid CF Stadium €15,000 and partially close the Real Madrid CF Stadium (i.e. 500 contiguous seats in the lower south stand) during the next (1) UEFA competition match in which Real Madrid CF will play as the host club, for racist and/or discriminatory behavior by its supporters.
The closure of the stadium is suspended for a trial period of one (1) year, starting from the date of this decision.
– official UEFA decision
UEFA decision / photo: disciplinary.uefa.com
