Barcelona are set to report Paris Saint-Germain to UEFA over a controversial banner unfurled by the French side's supporters before kick-off in the Champions League clash between the two clubs. The Catalan side regard it as an unacceptable overstepping of the limits of sporting competition.
According to Spanish newspaper "Sport", Barcelona plan to lodge a complaint with UEFA once the match ends, in protest at a huge banner raised by Paris supporters in one of the stadium stands. It bore the phrase "Massacre Parisian style", alongside an image of a person in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt and a terrifying mask, wielding a chainsaw as they smashed the Catalan club's crest.
It went up moments before the opening whistle, in a charged atmosphere that only sharpened the intensity of a clash between two of European football's biggest rivals.
Paris supporters drew their inspiration from the famous "Leatherface" character in the horror film "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", while borrowing a mask associated with Michael Myers from the "Halloween" series. The result combined terrifying imagery with direct provocation of Barcelona.
According to "Sport", the Catalan board saw the banner as far more than a bit of mind games or a means of whipping up the fans. They believe it crossed the acceptable limits of expressing a sporting rivalry, and that is what has pushed them down the official route.
The move comes with meetings between the two clubs producing fierce competition on the European stage, played out against an exceptional atmosphere in the stands.
At its heart, Barcelona's stance is a refusal to let the rivalry between the sides spill over into scenes that go beyond the limits of sporting support. Hence the focus on filing a complaint with UEFA once the match is done.
The report gave no details on possible sanctions or any official reaction from Paris Saint-Germain.