When Ukraine plays its first European Championship match on Monday, UEFA wants to prevent Russian flags from being present in the stadium. Some of these flags have been seen flying in the stands at previous games.
Security personnel will attempt to confiscate and remove Russian flags from the Munich stadium before Ukraine’s Euro 2024 group stage match against Romania on Monday afternoon, according to UEFA.
Within days of the full-scale armed invasion of Ukraine beginning in February 2022, Russian teams were barred by UEFA from participating in international events.
Nevertheless, Russian nationals may attempt to purchase tickets for the 2024 Euros. At some of the initial group-stage events, the national flag with its horizontal bands of white, red, and blue has been flown. It was seen last Friday in Munich alongside to Scottish flags during the opening match versus Germany.
Several Russian flags were also visible among Serbian supporters at Sunday’s Gelsenkirchen match between their team and England. One of Russia’s most potent historical allies in Europe is Serbia.
Russian flags were prominently displayed behind Jude Bellingham in several photos of him celebrating England’s lone goal of the match, which was located in the Serbian half of the stadium.
In the past, German officials have stated that they only wished to permit the carrying of the participating teams’ flags to stadiums and designated fan zones where games would be televised on large screens in the ten host cities. That was also considered a preventative measure against potential outbursts in the event that Israeli and Palestinian flags were flown.
Political messages at stadiums are prohibited by UEFA’s disciplinary regulations, and teams who display them at the request of their supporters risk sanctions.
Leave a Reply