UEFA accused of double standards over sanctions

UEFA sanctioned Rodri and Sarracena for chanting "Gibraltar is Spanish" during the Euro celebration. The comparison with what is allowed for other stars fuels the controversy over double standards in sanctions.

UEFA sanctioned **Rodri** and **Álvaro Sarracena**, captains of the Spanish national team, for chanting "Gibraltar is Spanish" during the celebration of the **Euro 2024** title. The sanction, a financial fine, was justified by behaviour deemed inappropriate and by the political nature of the chant. The European body applied its disciplinary rules with the same yardstick it uses for any territorial exaltation at an official tournament event.

## What UEFA said and what is being compared

The formal complaint came from the **Gibraltar** Football Association, which considered the chant a provocation over a territory whose sovereignty it disputes with Spain. UEFA resolved the matter with a financial sanction, without a match ban, and the issue was closed on the sporting side. Up to that point, a routine case.

The problem arises when it is compared with other cases. On social media, people point out that **Kylian Mbappé** has made gestures and comments that did not receive the same punishment. That asymmetry is what sustains the double standards accusation: not so much the sanction against the Spaniards as the absence of sanctions against others.

## The Chinese market as an argument

The post that sparked the controversy adds a commercial dimension. It argues that the Chinese market is closely watching which offences are punished and which are tolerated. China is a first-rank economic partner for European football, and the sensitivity of its fans and sponsors weighs on federations' decisions.

There lies the core of the matter: if the disciplinary criterion depends on the economic power of the offended party, the rulebook stops being a rulebook and becomes a negotiation. UEFA has not publicly clarified that criterion beyond each individual case.

## A repeating pattern

It is not the first time UEFA has faced accusations of applying different criteria depending on the protagonist. Sanctions for political gestures have historically fallen on players from mid-sized national teams, while the biggest stars have got off more lightly. The perception of unequal treatment erodes the body's authority.

The comparison with Mbappé has not been settled in any official case. What is verifiable is the fine to Rodri and Sarracena for a chant, and that the chant refers to a territorial dispute over **Gibraltar** that remains open between Spain and the United Kingdom.