Barcelona have decided to report Paris Saint-Germain to UEFA over a controversial banner raised by the French side's fans before the start of the clash between the two clubs in the Champions League. The Catalan club deemed it an unacceptable overstepping of the bounds of sporting competition.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Sport", Barcelona intend to lodge a complaint with UEFA once the match ends. Their objection concerns an enormous banner the Paris fans unfurled in one of the stadium's stands, bearing the phrase "Massacre Parisian-style" alongside an image of a person in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt and a terrifying mask, carrying an electric saw as they smash the Catalan club's crest.
The banner appeared moments before the opening whistle. A charged crowd atmosphere heightened the intensity of a clash between two of the most prominent rivals in European football.
Paris's fans drew their design from the famous "Leatherface" character in the horror film "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", using a mask associated with Michael Myers from the "Halloween" series. The scene combined terrifying symbols with direct provocation of Barcelona.
According to "Sport", the Catalan club's board did not view the banner as merely a means of provoking the opponent or firing up the fans. They considered that it had overstepped the acceptable bounds of expressing sporting rivalry, which prompted them to turn to the official route.
Barcelona's move comes with their meetings against Paris Saint-Germain producing fierce competition on the European stage, set to an exceptional crowd atmosphere.
At the heart of the Catalan club's position is a refusal to let the rivalry between the two sides spill into scenes that go beyond the bounds of sporting support, while they focus on lodging a complaint with UEFA after the final whistle.
The report did not include details on possible sanctions or an official reaction from Paris Saint-Germain.