UEFA revealed that it has launched an investigation after a Denmark fan had his rainbow flag confiscated by stewards in Baku ahead of his country’s Euro 2020 quarter-final against the Czech Republic.
After the flag had been visible in the Denmark section during warm-ups stadium security in the Azerbaijan capital appeared to remove it from two Danish fans. Two security personnel entered the seating sections and one of them took hold of the flag.
Kristoffer Føns said stewards refused to give a reason for the removal of his flag. UEFA for its part insisted that it had never instructed staff in any Euro 2020 host stadium to confiscate rainbow flags from supporters.
“An official UEFA security guard approached me and snatched the flag,” Føns told Danish outlet DR Sporten.
“We were going to a place where human rights don’t exist, and I have been skeptical about the upcoming World Cup taking place in Qatar, so I would feel like a hypocrite if I didn’t do something about it.”
European football’s governing body revealed that the flag was returned to the supporter and also insisted that it contacted the UEFA delegate and UEFA security officer at the stadium to investigate as soon as it was made aware of the incident.
“UEFA never instructed stewards in Baku – or in any other stadium – to confiscate rainbow flags,” a statement said.
