Akey day in the calendar arrived for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to advance the controversy between Barcelona and UEFA regarding the displays of Catalan estelada flags at the Camp Nou and in the Champions League final of 2015. CAS, based in Lausanne, held a hearing for both sides to give their explanations on a case that raises many sensitivities. When the court finally rules, which can take several weeks, UEFA will take more or less drastic measures depending on the outcome. Among the most severe consequences, is the closure of the Camp Nou. The initial punishment was 30,000 euros because UEFA believed that the showing of esteladas violates Article 16 of the disciplinary code, and more specifically to paragraph e) of paragraph 2: "the use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not suitable for a sports event, especially messages that are political, ideological, religious, offensive or provocative in nature."
However, the economic sanctions from UEFA have not only not stopped the display at the Camp Nou, but have caused the opposite effect. Throughout the past year, the anthem of the Champions League has been booed and whistled, whilst tens of thousands of Esteladas have been on show. UEFA's response was to raise the fine to 150,000 euros (30,000 per match). The sequence has again been repeated in the two Champions League matches that the stadium has hosted this season. Against Celtic and Manchester City, the venue was filled with flags because private entities were responsible for their distribution at the gates. Barcelona themselves took no responsibility for this but still insisted that any sanctions against Catalan independence flags is "unfair" and is "an attack on freedom of expression." The club will explain their position more fully on Monday afternoon, from 19:00 CET in a press conference.
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