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L’Équipe report this evening that UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and director Leonardo with regard to the events which unfolded at the end of last night’s defeat to Real Madrid.
The two men’s vigorous protests over refereeing decisions during the 3-1 loss is being investigated, with UEFA to use the referees’ match reports and other proof in their investigation such as video recordings.
According to witnesses speaking to L’Équipe, Al-Khelaifi and Leonardo had left their seats before full-time and headed for the referees’ dressing room. The former is said to have yelled and banged against the walls such was his anger, although this has been denied by his entourage.
When they tried to enter the referees’ room, they were pushed back and told to leave, but Leonardo reportedly blocked the door to keep it open. Al-Khelaifi is said to have grabbed a linesman’s flag and snapped it in half.
On realising he was being filmed by a Real Madrid employee, Al-Khelaifi told him to stop doing so on three occasions. According to certain witnesses, he hit the employee’s hand when the former carried on filming, and made the phone drop on the floor. PSG assert that this is false and that a club member simply took the phone instead. Spanish media has reported that the PSG president also verbally threatened the man recording, forcing Real Madrid security and police to intervene. Al-Khelaifi’s entourage denies these reports, claiming that he and Leonardo simply wanted to go speak to the referee but were barred from doing so.
According to L’Équipe‘s sources at the club, Real Madrid have sent the video to UEFA, but the management have refused to make the video public so as to not damage Al-Khelaifi’s image any further.
