England fans could be fined for chanting offensively about the EU during Belgium match

England fans who use the opportunity to needle Belgium by chanting offensive anti-EU songs could cause the FA to be fined, Fifa has warned.

England face off against their European rivals, whose capital Brussels plays host to many of the most important EU institutions, on Thursday.

But crossing the line during the so-called “Brexit derby” could be costly, with a Fifa spokesman warning of punishment if “fans are found to have used insulting or political slogans”.

At Euro 2016, English fans were heard chanting “f*** off Europe, we’re all voting out” while in France at the tournament before the June 23 referendum. Chants of “sit down if you hate the French” were also heard in Marseille.

Nazi salute on camera

This time around, Europe has not featured much in audible chants, with fans preferring the national anthem and “football’s coming home”.

However, some England fans were filmed singing an anti-Semitic song and giving the Nazi salute in a bar in Volgograd – formerly Stalingrad – after the first match against Tunisia

EU teams England could still face

Sweden

Portugal

France

Spain

Denmark

Croatia

Belgium (again in the final)

Double eagle

Fifa concerns itself with matters on the pitch and in the stadium, but it’s not clear exactly how high the threshold would be for a fine.

Two Swiss players of Kosovan origin, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, were investigated by Fifa after making a “double eagle” sign while celebrating goals against Serbia.

The Serbs complained that the symbol represented a desire for a greater Albania at the expense of the territorial integrity of Serbia and Macedonia – but Fifa let the players off.

However, Celtic were fined in the club game for displaying a Palestinian flag during a game against Israeli opposition, while Barcelona faced a $150,000 fine in 2016 for displaying a flag that represents Catalan independence.

England fans could be at risk of a travel ban in future if they are blamed for any fine.

More than 1,300 people had their passports confiscated ahead of the World Cup amid worries about reprisals against Russian hooligans for attacks in 2016.

Read more about the World Cup

Scottish viewers turned off by ‘biased’ BBC commentary on England match

World Cup viewers call for Ally McCoist to get his own travel show

The absence of the 1966 England team from World Cup commentary reeks of ageism

Dejan Lovren sparks backlash by singing ‘fascist song’ after win over Argentina

The post England fans could be fined for chanting offensively about the EU during Belgium match appeared first on iNews.

from Football – iNews https://ift.tt/2lxOiha