Legia Warsaw’s legal problems this season have continued after Uefa charged the club over a banner criticising their disputed exit from the Champions League.
The latest case follows the Polish champions’ fans displaying a large image of a pig imposed on a Uefa badge and the slogan “Because Football Doesn’t Matter, Money Does”.
The banner, surrounded by lit flares, was shown before Legia’s Europa League play-off victory against Aktobe of Kazakhstan on Thursday. Uefa said its disciplinary panel will judge the case on Thursday. Potential sanctions could be applied when Legia opens their Europa League group programme at home to Lokeren on 18 September.
Legia were eliminated from the Champions League third qualifying round for fielding a suspended player against Celtic. Uefa awarded the Scottish side a 3-0 second-leg win that saw them advance. The Court of Arbitration for Sport denied Legia’s urgent appeal to be reinstated, and will now consider the club’s request for compensation from Uefa for lost earnings.
Legia are now facing Uefa punishment for the third time in four seasons. Uefa sanctioned fans’ racist behaviour by closing a section of their stadium at a Champions League play-off last season. At a home Europa League match against Hapoel Tel Aviv three years ago, fans displayed a ‘Jihad Legia’ banner in Arabic-style script across one end of the stadium.