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Barcelona Speaks Out, Will Appeal Fine From UEFA For Fans' Catalan Flags

Barcelona VP Carles Vilarrubí said that it is "monstrous" that the club has been fined by UEFA for Catalan flags flown by home fans at the Camp Nou, according to Dermot Corrigan of ESPN. UEFA fined Barça €40,000 ($45,300) after Catalan "estelada" flags flown by fans during last month's Champions League Group E game at home to Bayer Leverkusen were taken to be political symbols which are "not allowed inside stadiums." Vilarrubi said that the club "felt tricked" by currently suspended UEFA President Michel Platini, and would do "whatever it takes to defend the rights of its fans to behave as they liked in their own stadium." He said, "We do not like this UEFA, it is an institution which lives with its back to reality. It is monstrous to tell the socios what they can and cannot do in their stadium. You cannot stop people doing what they want in their own house. I do not know what UEFA are looking for, but the diplomatic route is over. We feel tricked by Platini and if we need to we will go to the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg." Another club VP, Jordi Mestre, said that the club would appeal the fine as the flags "did not incite violence" and consider other legal avenues they could take (ESPN, 10/20).

LOST IN TRANSLATION: The BBC reported Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho blamed a "lack of English language skills" after accusing referees of being "afraid" to give his side penalties. Mourinho was given a suspended one-match stadium ban and a £50,000 ($77,200) fine by the FA for "implying officials were biased." He has described the fine as a "disgrace" and appealed. A hearing dismissed his mitigation and decided the 52-year-old's English is "too sophisticated." Mourinho's £50,000 sanction was the "seventh time he has been fined by the FA in 10 years," with those punishments totaling £181,000 ($280,000) (BBC, 10/19).

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