Real Madrid hit by CAS defeat as Madrid court clears club over Bernabéu concerts

Real Madrid has suffered a legal setback in Switzerland after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld a UEFA fine imposed over homophobic chanting aimed at Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, while also securing a domestic court ruling that removes criminal liability linked to concert noise at the Santiago Bernabéu.CAS dismissed the club’s appeal against a €30,000 fine and a two-year probationary sanction that requires the closure of a small section of the stadium for one UEFA Champions League match if further incidents occur.In its published reasoning, the CAS panel described the chant as “of a severe discriminatory nature … to be considered as far more serious and damaging than acceptable satire and banter.”The incident took place during a UEFA Champions League match at the Bernabéu in February 2025, with some supporters chanting about Guardiola’s appearance, drug use and references to a Madrid neighbourhood known for its LGBTQ+ venues.CAS heard evidence that the wording could be interpreted as implying the former Barcelona coach was infected with HIV/AIDS, according to the written decision.Real Madrid argued the expressions should be assessed in context and that the sounds could have come from away supporters, while also challenging the handling of expert input used in UEFA’s disciplinary process.UEFA argued at CAS that homophobia remains a structural problem in football and said clubs should treat enforcement as a governance priority rather than a litigation exercise.The CAS outcome reinforces UEFA’s tougher stance on discrimination risk, a compliance area with direct implications for brand reputation, sponsor protections and matchday operations.Hours earlier, Real Madrid announced a separate ruling in Spain that it said fully upheld appeals filed by the club’s general director José Ángel Sánchez Periáñez and stadium operating company Real Madrid Estadio S. L. in a case linked to concerts held at the Bernabéu.Real Madrid said: “The aforementioned judicial resolution clearly and categorically concludes that neither José Ángel Sánchez Periáñez, the club’s general director and member of its Board of Directors, nor Real Madrid Estadio S. L. are responsible for any criminal offense in relation to the concerts held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.”Real Madrid said the court placed responsibility for compliance with municipal decibel limits on promoter companies leasing the stadium, and argued that breaches of administrative environmental rules do not automatically justify criminal proceedings.Real Madrid has positioned the Bernabéu redevelopment as a long-term commercial engine, and the Spanish ruling offers clarity on liability allocation, but the broader viability of large-scale shows still depends on operational solutions that keep events within local noise limits.