Norwegian club Brann win court ruling over fans’ right to sing ‘Uefa mafia’

• Court of arbitration for sport decides against Uefa
• Result of freedom of expression case is ‘important’ ruling

The Norwegian club Brann have won a landmark freedom of expression case with the court of arbitration for sport (Cas) ruling that Uefa should not have punished them for fans singing “Uefa mafia” or displaying banners with the same message at Women’s Champions League games.

The European footballing body fined Brann on two separate occasions in 2024 with a third case pending. Uefa argued that the incidents were a breach of its regulations, which make clubs responsible for “offensive statements of a provocative nature” from the stands.