That is a picture of Vicente Calderon Stadium, the home of Atletico Madrid, which they are now banned from using in their next two Champions League matches, and on probation for the next five years or else they will be banned for a third game. The club was also fined €150,000 and coach Javier Aguirre is banned from their next two matches. This is all due to a number of problems that occurred in their match against Marseille: inadequate police escort, fans attacking the Marseille bus, inadequate facilities for disabled supporters, Aguirre repeatedly insulting a French player, and heavy-handed treatment of visiting supporters. Many have said that this shows that UEFA is committed to fighting racism, but UEFA's official response does not mention anything about racism. While monkey chants, racist abuse from Aguirre and rough tactics by the police on an ethnically diverse visiting crowd were all reported, UEFA's silence on these issues does them no favors. It appears that they took serious action for the violence that occurred. Whether we can expect to see this if there is racism without violence, only time will tell.
A number of people are upset with this decision. One of them is Fernando Torres, who made his way through the Atletico Madrid youth system. Liverpool play Atletico Madrid in their next two Champions League matches, and it was to be Torres' first time back at Vicente Calderon Stadium since his big money transfer. Torres is very upset, and his frustration is shared by the Liverpool supporters. Liverpool expected around 3,000 visiting supporters to go to the game, and many have already made travel arrangements. With the game having to be played 300km away, their travel and accomodations will have to be changed. Liverpool have suggested that UEFA use the fine to help cover the expenses of fans who have had to change their plans, and one can almost hear Michelle Platini laughing at the suggesting(it's a very French sounding laugh, probably next to a fire place with a glass of red wine).One Liners
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