Hate Speech on and off the Field - EURO 2024: Assessment of the UEFA Sanctions against Players and Fans in the light of the ECHR

Abstract

During the EURO 2024 in Germany, the UEFA has imposed a series of sanctions on fans and two players for inappropriate comments and gestures. Albania's player Mirlind Daku was suspended by UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) for two UEFA representative team competition matches after chanting nationalist slogans. Turkey's Merih Demiral was suspended for two matches for celebrating his second goal against Austria with a "wolf salute". These sanctions can be considered justified under the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights ("ECHR"). However, in order to have an effective preventive effect, they should be accompanied by criminal investigations under national law.

Keywords

• Discrimination
• EMRK
• EU
• EURO 2024
• Europameisterschaften
• Football