Madrid Quietly Draws a Line: No Pep Guardiola Mentions Ahead of City Clash

Incident at the Bernabéu

Real Madrid's upcoming Champions League tie with Manchester City is shadowed by a serious disciplinary incident at the Santiago Bernabéu on February 25. A fan in the ultras section repeatedly performed a Nazi salute on camera, drawing immediate condemnation from the club and authorities.

Just before the match against Benfica, a banner reading "No to racism" and "Respect" had already appeared in the same area, highlighting the ongoing battle against discrimination. Madrid quickly identified and removed the spectator, and began steps to suspend his membership, but UEFA still imposed a fine of 15,000 euros and ordered a provisional partial closure of 500 seats in the lower south stand for a year, under review.

Club response and sanctions

José Luis Sánchez, the club’s head of social activities, convened a meeting with the major supporters’ associations ahead of the high-stakes clash against City. A report in Marca cited the club’s stern message: during the match, the name of Pep Guardiola must not be uttered, a strict directive intended to prevent a repeat of the incident.

Guardiola’s visits to the Bernabéu have long been controversial, with hostile chants trailing him on past occasions. UEFA’s actions in February 2025 included a 30,000‑euro fine and the threat of a further partial stadium closure, suspended for two years. The bar on displaying national flags, including the Spanish flag, was also noted, with security personnel in “purple jackets” tasked with ensuring compliance.

As the city rivals’ clash approaches, Madrid reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on discriminatory conduct and emphasized tighter monitoring of crowd behavior in and around the stadium.

Punchlines: The crowd could bench the controversy, but apparently not the security jackets. And if you’re going to chant, maybe save something for post-match—there’s a scoreboard to worry about, not the history books.