“UEFA has never instructed stewards in Baku, or any other stadium, to confiscate rainbow flags,” the European body said in a statement sent to AFP after this quarter-final of Euro football, won by Denmark (2-1).
“The first information we have is that the supporter in question was highly intoxicated and that some local supporters started to be aggressive towards him. The local stewards intervened and allowed this supporter to remain (in the stand ), despite his condition, “added UEFA.
In photos released by AFP, we see two stewards surround two supporters in the Danish stand and grab the flag in question. One of the supporters has a mug with the colors of a brand of beer in his hand.
“We are currently investigating what happened,” added UEFA, adding that the flag was later returned to the Danish fan.
“The rainbow flag is a symbol which represents the core values of UEFA and promotes everything in which we believe,” insisted the organizing body of the Euro.
This new incident recalls one of the most heated controversies of this Euro, which occurred when the city of Munich (Germany) wanted to light up its stadium in the rainbow colors of the LGBT community before the Germany-Hungary match to protest against the vote of a law in Hungary accused of discriminating against homosexuals.
UEFA banned this illumination, but several main sponsors of the Euro, including Volkswagen, then showed their solidarity by broadcasting rainbow-colored advertisements in the stadiums during the round of 16.
After changing its own logo to rainbow colors, the European body nevertheless asked its main sponsors, including the German car manufacturer, not to deploy rainbow-colored advertising banners during the quarterfinals. final scheduled for Friday and Saturday in the stadiums of Baku and St. Petersburg, UEFA invoking AFP compliance with local laws.
