Borussia Dortmund pursue sanctions against PSG with Football Supporters Europe

Borussia Dortmund is going to the Champions League semi-final at the expense of Paris Saint-German, but that doesn’t mean that Dortmund is done with the Parisian club. According to reports, Dortmund is seeking retribution for the way Paris Saint-Germain handled the second leg of the semi-final, with outrage coming from the fact that PSG made a mess of allocations for away fan tickets.

The report indicates that Dortmund is in contact with Football Supporters Europe, a non-profit association of supporters that UEFA has recognized as a representative body on fan-related matters. In cases such as this, they work to advocate for football fans across the globe and bring these matters to UEFA's attention. Dortmund’s grievances include the fact that they received 480 fewer spots for the away match in Paris than what was to be allocated. This, according to PSG, was at the behest of Parisian law enforcement, however, police officials have since denied the claim.

PSG also banned fan banners and tifos for the away fans, despite PSG fans having displayed intricate choreography that incorrectly predicted the final result of the match, which only adds to the list of decisions Dortmund has issues with. The report indicated that FSE does indeed intend to impose sanctions on PSG for their actions.

PSG’s actions ahead of this game are bizarre as they have no grounds in any reasonable or tangible cause for them to have been implemented. The only thought that comes to mind is that PSG decided to pull these stunts in order to gain leverage in the match. Supporters are often noted as the “12th man” during games, and stunting the impact opposition fans have could have been simply a tactical, yet dreadful move by the club to gain an advantage. Just like PSG’s tifo before the game, however, their efforts clearly crashed and burned in the end.