The European Football Federation banned Chelsea, Manchester City and Glasgow Rangers from playing the national anthem before Wednesday’s Champions League matches on religious grounds, even though it is the competition’s official theme song. But Rangers disobeyed his order before the match against Napoli, where thousands of fans sang “God Save The Queen” instead of the correct “God Save The King” after a minute’s silence was allowed.
At the same time, fans of the Protestant team created a giant post in the stands with a British flag, in the center of which was a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The match was postponed for a day due to insufficient police presence due to the events following the Queen’s death. However, fans of the Italian team will not have access to the Napoli match.
In the Czech Republic, the hugely unpopular Glasgow club made no secret of its breach of UEFA rules – it even announced in an official statement that it would play the British anthem in honor of the Queen despite the ban.
The fans and players of Celtic, Glasgow’s other famous team, reacted to the Queen’s death in a completely different way. The green and white team was supported by pro-Irish Catholics, for whom the British crown was a source of oppression. They unfurled banners reading “Fuck The Crown” and “Sorry for your loss Michael Fagan” during Wednesday’s draw against Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk. The sign sarcastically recalled an incident 40 years ago when a man named Michael Fagan entered the Queen’s bedroom at Buckingham Palace.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the risk of punishment from UEFA (probably in the form of a financial fine) is higher in the case of Rangers. Other clubs approached by UEFA, namely Chelsea and Manchester City, respected his wishes, although some fans sang the national anthem as the players took to the pitch.
In Poland, where the match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic was played because of the war in Ukraine, a minute’s silence was not observed. Some Scottish team players did not wear mourning armbands to honor the Queen.
Fans of Bayern Munich, who beat Barcelona 2-0 on Tuesday, reacted negatively to the postponement of the match due to the Queen’s death. “Postpone matches at the last minute because of the death of the queen? Respect the fans!” proclaimed the banner at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
The English Premier League last weekend in honor of Elizabeth II. he did not play, but in some stadiums the reaction from fans was still negative – Irish team Shamrock Rovers apologized on their website after Thursday’s Conference League match for the behavior of their fans who celebrated the death of the Queen.