Cyprus News Agency

The governing body of European football had fined Brann 5,000 euros for “provocative messages of an offensive nature” during a Women’s Champions League match and rejected the club’s appeal submitted in March last year.

Brann was also fined in a separate incident and took the matter to CAS, which stated that UEFA’s rules “must be interpreted in light of fundamental human rights such as freedom of expression.”

Brann chairman Aslak Sverdrup expressed great satisfaction with the CAS decision, saying, “It’s not every day that a club from Norway represents all of European football, but today we truly do. In a world where freedom of speech is under attack, this is an important and correct decision.”

Brann stated that the decisions made by UEFA’s disciplinary and internal appeals committees had been annulled.

In a statement on the matter, UEFA said: “In the present case, CAS in no way confirmed that freedom of expression could justify the use of offensive language by so-called ‘fans’.”

“CAS also confirmed that UEFA has a legitimate regulatory interest in ensuring public safety and preventing disorder or inappropriate conduct during a football match.”

“UEFA’s disciplinary bodies will continue to enforce a zero-tolerance policy against inappropriate conduct to ensure that UEFA matches are not marred by violence, racism, or offensive behavior,” the statement added.