PSG back in the French cup
Court overturns ban on club whose fans unfurled insulting banner at cup final.
PARIS Saint-Germain can compete in the Coupe de la Ligue after a court overturned the team’s ban.
The Conseil d'Etat said the punishment handed out to the team after fans unfurled an insulting banner at a cup final was “disproportionate.”
In its judgement the court criticised the “reprehensible behaviour of PSG supporters” and said the club had failed in its security obligations. However it said the club had since made efforts to prevent a similar event occuring.
Fans unfurled a 25m banner during the second half of the cup final against Lens (Pas de Calais).The banner read: "Paedophiles, unemployed, inbreds: Welcome to the home of the Ch'tis (nickname of people from northeast France and reference to a popular film).”
On the orders of President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was attending the match, the banner was quickly removed by security forces.
PSG lawyer Pascal Wilhelm said: “For us the principal battle is won. You cannot punish a club without taking into account the efforts put in place to fight against these incidents. You must take into account the level of responsibility for a club over its supporters.”
The Conseil Fédéral de la FFF banned the club from competing following the incident.
