THST condemns as insulting and utterly inadequate the €20,000 fine imposed on Barcelona by UEFA as a result of events at our Champions League tie at the Nou Camp in December 2018. We are pleased our Club has also said it considers the response inadequate.
The charge against Barcelona was “insufficient organisation”. To be clear, that night saw unprovoked, indiscriminate assaults on our fans by stadium security forces outside and inside the stadium. Evidence of those assaults has been widely circulated on video so there can be no doubt about the facts.
We submitted a detailed dossier of accounts from supporters who were caught up in that night’s violence. That was submitted, alongside a formal complaint from THFC and observations from the FA observer present, to UEFA in the immediate aftermath of the game. It has taken UEFA nearly six months to come to a decision.
The fine imposed on Barcelona is less than some of our fans who have been left unable to work as a result of being assaulted will lose in earnings. It is twice the amount THFC has been fined for the team allegedly arriving on the pitch late for a game last month. And it is an inconsequential amount for a club as rich as Barcelona.
This decision by UEFA sends clear signals. It says supporters are fair game for security staff to do what they want to. It says that broadcast rights and kick-off times are more important than supporter safety. And it says UEFA is unfit for purpose.
We share the grave concerns of our Club that the punishment imposed will not act as enough of a deterrent to avoid a repeat. THST will be taking advice, including legal advice, on our next steps. We are determined to secure justice for our fans.
THST Board
18 May 2019
We submitted a detailed dossier of accounts from supporters who were caught up in that night’s violence. That was submitted, alongside a formal complaint from THFC and observations from the FA observer present, to UEFA in the immediate aftermath of the game. It has taken UEFA nearly six months to come to a decision.
The fine imposed on Barcelona is less than some of our fans who have been left unable to work as a result of being assaulted will lose in earnings. It is twice the amount THFC has been fined for the team allegedly arriving on the pitch late for a game last month. And it is an inconsequential amount for a club as rich as Barcelona.
This decision by UEFA sends clear signals. It says supporters are fair game for security staff to do what they want to. It says that broadcast rights and kick-off times are more important than supporter safety. And it says UEFA is unfit for purpose.
We share the grave concerns of our Club that the punishment imposed will not act as enough of a deterrent to avoid a repeat. THST will be taking advice, including legal advice, on our next steps. We are determined to secure justice for our fans.
THST Board
18 May 2019
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