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Bayern Munich are facing disciplinary action from UEFA after travelling fans threw fake money onto the pitch in Brussels during a Champions League game with RSC Anderlecht. UEFA also said that they were going to charge Bayern for a banner that was displayed in the away supporters section which contained explicit language protesting the €100 ticket prices. Accompanying the banners containing profanity was a sign that read (via ESPN) “Is your gr€€d now finally satisfi€d?” This, of course, was in reference to the fact that the vast majority of travelling Bayern supporters were charged €100 for standing tickets in the away section of the stadium.
Bayern Munich fans banner to protest ticket prices during their game at Anderlecht tonight
— Football Away Days (@sportingawayday) November 22, 2017
Retweet if you think €100 is too much to be charging for a football match ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/VVMpLEcKwb
The fake money incident took place when Anderlecht were preparing to take a corner kick in the first half of play and the match was momentarily paused so that officials and stadium crew could clean up all of the fake money. Several camera angles during the broadcast indicated that the majority of the fake money that was thrown contained the ‘€100’ mark on it.
One of Bayern Munich’s independent supporters groups, Club #12, commented (via ESPN) on the protests in an official statement, suggesting that a lot of supporters boycotted the trip to Brussels entirely:
Many Bayern fans, several ultra groups among them, opted to not make the trip to Brussels. This can't be a long-term solution. Protests are sadly the only option to inform the bosses in their ivory tower at UEFA that salaries for UEFA officials are not representative of the earning capacities of the average football fan.
Speaking to kicker about the protests, Jupp Heynckes insisted that he was in complete solidarity with the fans:
When the tickets for standing room cost 100 euros — well, my dear friends, that is crazy! The fans are completely right. They can't afford that anymore. That sends a message: Stay home! You're not welcome here anymore.
When asked if he thought the fans could’ve acted differently towards the situation, Heynckes maintained his opinion that they were exercising their rights as football fans:
The protest was justified. I sympathize with the fans. Ticket prices have to stay reasonable. We need the fans. Without the right atmosphere — it's a shame. I support the protest wholeheartedly.