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A viral claim links a religious display to UEFA’s €40,000 sanction on Serbian football club Crvena Zvezda. UEFA, as cited by fact-checkers, denies this interpretation. In late February, in Belgrade, Crvena ZvezdafacedFrench club LOSC Lille in a UEFA Europa League match. Following the game, UEFA imposed a financial penalty on the home club for a series of disciplinary infractions recorded during the match. In the aftermath of the decision, a claim began spreading across Europe suggesting that the fine had been issued because supporters of the Serbian club had displayed a choreographed stadium visual depicting a Christian saint. However,UEFA’s official explanation, as reported by fact-checking outlets citing the disciplinary ruling,does not confirm this interpretation. 👉 Pratite Sport Klub na društvenim mrežama: ▶ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sportklub 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sport.klub ⌨ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sportklub 🎧 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@sportklub_ 🔔 Sport Klub Sajt: https://sportklub.n1info.rs/ #sportklub ——————————————————————————————————— ⏩ Svako postavljanje video materijala (klipova, stream-ova…) bićemo prinuđeni da prijavimo YouTube administratorima. To može rezultovati i trajnim gašenjem Vašeg kanala od strane YouTube-a ili tužbe od strane United Media Production d.o.o. During the match, supporters of Crvena Zvezda staged a large coordinated tifo that included a religious-themed visual display alongside a banner referencing faith and victory. Following the match, UEFA issued disciplinary sanctions totaling €95,500 for multiple infractions. Theseincluded: Following this, it was widely claimed that the €40,000 sanction was imposed because of the Saint Simeon-themed choreography displayed by supporters. However, according to the Polish fact-check outletDemagog, which contacted UEFA directly, the governing bodystatedthat the €40,000 fine was issued due tothe “F*** UEFA” banner displayed inside the stadium. UEFA also clarified thatthe Saint Simeon-themed choreography was not the basis of the penalty. The Serbian fact-checking platformFake News Tragačalso investigated the claim and reported a similar response from UEFA, confirming that none of the individual fines were directly linked to the religious display. In 2024, claims circulated online that Serbian judoka Nemanja Majdov had been suspended for five months by the International Judo Federation (IJF) simply for making the sign of the cross before stepping onto the tatami at the Paris Olympics. However, according to fact-checking by Hungarian outletLakmusz, which reviewed official documents, the suspension was not based solely on the religious gesture itself. The IJF stated that the sanction resulted from multiple breaches of its rules, including additional disciplinary incidents. These included Majdov’s refusal to bow at the end of a match and removing his belt on the competition field, both of which were considered violations of the federation’s code of conduct. The Serbian athlete had previously been warned in 2018 and 2022 for breaches of the IJF ethical code. According to fact-checking by the Georgian outletMythDetector, the suspension followed a pattern of repeated violations and prior written warnings, rather than a single religious act. MythDetectoralso noted that in a similar case in 2019, the IJF clarified that its rules do not target Christian symbols specifically, but apply to all religious expressions equally. The federation added that athletes who violate the rule are first issued warnings, and repeated violations can lead to disciplinary proceedings before the governing body’s disciplinary committee.