Barcelona escalate the "bloody saw" crisis to UEFA: what happened in Paris is unacceptable
Catalan anger
The fallout from the Parc des Princes clash did not end at the final whistle. It quickly moved into the corridors of European football's governing body, after Barcelona decided to formally escalate a matter against hosts Paris Saint-Germain that the club described as "deeply concerning".
The Catalan club fired off a strongly worded message to UEFA on Wednesday, condemning the banners, chants and advertising boards on display during their Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain earlier the same day.
According to Spanish radio station "Cadena SER", Barcelona believe the images shown in the Paris stands "send a message that incites violence and hatred in sport". They are demanding the European body take deterrent measures.
One moment overshadowed everything else. A huge banner went up in the stands depicting a blood-stained electric saw attacking the Barcelona crest, a scene that went beyond all limits of sporting support.
Club sources say Barcelona lodged an official complaint with the UEFA delegate at the stadium immediately.
At the core of the complaint lies the demand to hold Paris Saint-Germain fully responsible. In the Spanish league, the content of banners must be reported in advance to the Royal Spanish Football Federation and the National Police and approved for security. European competitions skip that preventive procedure entirely, and legal and regulatory responsibility falls directly on the host club.
Barcelona insist Paris Saint-Germain's management knew in advance what the bloody banner contained and gave permission for it to go up in the stands. The Catalan club branded that unacceptable collusion.
The offensive banner and messages that also appeared on some advertising boards caused deep concern at Barcelona, who ended their message to UEFA with a line that leaves no room for interpretation: "We consider this type of image and language unacceptable". Now they wait to see whether the European body will act to punish the Parisian club.
