“Free Palestine. The tifo unfurled at 8:50 p.m. by the Auteuil tribune and the Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP) drew all eyes Wednesday evening before the start of the match between the PSG and Atlético de Madrid. Hard to miss. This banner was accompanied by a message: “War on the ground, but peace in the world.”

In the aftermath, the tifo was quickly removed and the CUP, which has previously taken a pro-Palestine stance, paid tribute to the victims of the floods in Spain, before the players and the entire Parc des Princes crowd began a minute’s silence which ended in a minute’s applause.

Anything but a message of peace

But let’s get back to this controversial banner. Between the written country message (“War on the ground, but peace in the world”) and the drawings on the tarpaulin, the discrepancy is enormous. A mosque with its minaret and the slogan “Free Palestine” can be seen, as well as a child with a Lebanese flag on the bottom left. On the right of the tifo, which covered the entire Auteuil stand, is a man with his face hidden by a red keffiyeh.

PSG owe a real explanation

How can you imagine a message of peace between the discrepancy of the text and the drawings? Why didn’t the CUP put a flag of Palestine and Israel side by side in view of the many innocent victims in this Middle East war? All these questions remain, and should not have to be asked. UEFA regulations forbid any political message in sports arenas. The Parisian fans made a mistake. If the directors of PSG, whose owner is Qatar, claim that they were unaware, how can we believe them? The controversy is total. The questions are numerous. It’s up to those involved to take responsibility and explain themselves.