In a significant ruling that underscores soccer's ongoing battle against homophobia, Real Madrid has lost its appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over fan conduct during a Champions League match against Manchester City. The case centered on a homophobic chant directed at City manager Pep Guardiola, which has now been deemed "far more serious and damaging than acceptable satire and banter" by CAS judges.
The incident occurred in February of last year when Real Madrid hosted Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabéu. During the match, a section of Madrid supporters chanted that Guardiola was thin, used drugs, and would be seen in Chueca—Madrid's most famously gay-friendly neighborhood. An expert witness later testified that the chant implied Guardiola was "infected with HIV/AIDS," according to the court's published verdict.
The disciplinary action initially came from UEFA, which fined Real Madrid €30,000 ($35,000) and placed the club on a two-year probation order requiring them to close a small section of their stadium for one Champions League game if similar behavior recurred. Madrid appealed the sanctions, arguing that the chants should be considered "humorous, exaggerated, or aimed at powerful institutions or public figures" and analyzed in context.
CAS rejected that defense entirely. In their 38-page ruling, dated April 14, the judges stated the chant "was of a severe discriminatory nature," upholding UEFA's original penalty. The decision sends a clear message that homophobic language, even when disguised as "banter," has no place in the modern game.
UEFA's legal team presented a powerful case against the appeal, describing how homophobia has "cast a long and deeply troubling shadow" over soccer. "For decades, the sport has been marred by a culture of machismo, exclusion, prejudice, and hostility towards individuals based on their sexual orientation," UEFA argued. "This persistent intolerance has impacted the personal and professional lives of countless players, coaches and fans and also led to tragic outcomes in the past."
The appeal hearing took place in Lausanne, Switzerland last September, adding another layer of tension to what was already a strained relationship between Real Madrid and UEFA. Just one month after the hearing, Madrid announced it would seek "substantial damages" from UEFA—a separate legal battle stemming from the failed European Super League project that continues to simmer.
UEFA lawyers emphasized that Madrid "should be the first fighting against those chants, instead of defending them," a pointed critique of the club's legal strategy. The ruling serves as a reminder that soccer's governing bodies are increasingly unwilling to tolerate discriminatory behavior, even from the sport's most historic clubs.