Real Madrid claimed homophobic chants were satire. Nice try but no, a court rules
A claim by soccer giants Real Madrid that its fans' chant of a gay slur at Pep Guardiola was 'satire' has been dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Mark
Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid have failed in their appeal over a fine for their fans’ homophobic chanting in a game last year.
Lawyers representing the pro team claimed that the chant should be “interpreted differently” because it involves “elements of satire,” but this was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Fans directed the chant at Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, formerly of Real’s fierce rivals Barcelona, during a UEFA Champions League playoff match at the Bernabeu in February 2025. Real won 3-1 on the night to secure progress in the competition.
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During the game, a section of the home crowd repeatedly sang a chant with lyrics, translated into English, of: “Guardiola, Guardiola, how thin you look, first it was the drugs, and we’ll see you in Chueca today.”
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The chant was reported to the authorities by the anti-discrimination network Fare, and was assessed as being homophobic because Chueca is a well-known gay neighborhood of Madrid, while the references to being thin and drugs allude to HIV/AIDS.
Following the match, European soccer’s governing body UEFA launched an investigation and subsequently found Real guilty of “discriminatory behavior,” issuing the club with a fine of 30,000 euros ($35,000).
However, Real refused to accept the punishment and took the case to CAS, the highest court in international sports.
In their arguments, the club’s lawyers made claims that the chant was not intended to be hateful. They argued that “expressions made by fans during football matches must be interpreted within their specific context, particularly when they involve elements of satire, provocation or criticism.”
However, the court dismissed these excuses, with a panel of judges asserting that the words used in the chant constituted homophobia and should be considered “as far more serious and damaging than acceptable satire and banter.”
@dailymailsport Pep Guardiola was mocked with brutal 'homophobic' chants from Real Madrid fans during Manchester City's 3-0 loss #manchestercity #mcfc #mancity #pepguardiola #realmadrid #championsleague #football ♬ original sound – Daily Mail Sport
The outcome of the appeal to CAS and the revelation that Real’s lawyers were fighting in court to defend the use of homophobic language as “satire” comes after one of their own player was recently the victim of homophobic abuse.
The club’s Brazilian star Vinicius Jr. was the target of a gay slur during a Champions League match three months ago.
The perpetrator, Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, was ultimately punished by UEFA but despite one of their top players being targeted with homophobia, Real Madrid remained silent publicly after the verdict.
Between the incident and Prestianni receiving a suspension, there were powerful comments made by Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who spoke publicly about discrimination in soccer.
The Belgium international explicitly stated that homophobia is just as serious as racism and should be treated with the same level of severity by officials and clubs.
The dismissal of the appeal means Real must pay the fine, and any repeat of the offense in the next two years would lead to a partial stadium closure.
However, as pointed out by AP, the fine is tiny when put into context of how much money Real earned from the Champions League last season.
After reaching the quarterfinals, the club collected 100 million euros ($117 million), meaning the fine amounted to just 0.03% of their prize money.
The fact that Real took the case to CAS in the first place was also criticized by UEFA’s lawyers, who told the court that the 15-time European champions “should be the first fighting against those chants, instead of hiring high-profile lawyers to file an appeal with the CAS.”
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