Barcelona-Feyenoord: French fans report racist abuse and monkey gestures

French Barcelona supporters have complained of racist abuse and offensive gestures by Feyenoord fans during Wednesday’s Champions League match at Spotify Camp Nou.

Barcelona won 5-1 in the opening round of the competition’s league phase, but some home supporters said their evening was marred by the behaviour of fans in the visiting section.

French sports and Barcelona content creator Isia posted a video on X showing part of the incident. She said she and her friends were subjected to racist insults by Feyenoord supporters seated directly above them.

“In 2026, to be called a monkey because of a football match… what a disgrace,” she wrote alongside the footage.

The video, which lasts about 10 seconds, appears to show one Feyenoord fan making obscene gestures before imitating a monkey towards Isia and her friends. Another supporter in front of him can be seen making a gesture resembling a throat-slitting motion.

Isia said objects were thrown at them from the away section throughout the match.

“We spent the game trying to protect ourselves because they were throwing beer bottles, cigarettes and anything that could be used as a projectile,” she told French network RMC.

“At first it was just banter and provocation between the two sides, but it became worse as the match went on.

“They were banging hard on the glass barrier separating us, and eventually there were racist chants and monkey gestures. It was a very difficult match.”

She also criticised Barcelona and the security response, saying the offensive behaviour had begun before kick-off and that action was not taken quickly enough.

“The behaviour did not change, and the announcement over the loudspeakers was also delayed because it had started even before the match,” she said.

Isia said she had tagged the official Feyenoord and UEFA accounts in an Instagram post, calling for action to be taken and for similar incidents to be prevented at football grounds.

Several reports said Isia and her friends were not the only Barcelona supporters affected. Other videos shared on social media showed similar complaints from home fans about the conduct of some Feyenoord supporters in the away section.

Local authorities had classified Feyenoord’s trip to Barcelona as high risk, leading to increased security measures around the fixture.

Barcelona and Feyenoord have not issued official comments on the reported incidents, while UEFA has not announced a position. Reports said Barcelona had been informed of what happened and could contact UEFA to request action and sanctions against those responsible.

The allegations came a day after controversy surrounding the behaviour of some Real Madrid supporters during their Champions League match against Inter Milan at Santiago Bernabeu.

Reports claimed some Real Madrid fans directed racist and antisemitic chants at the game, including offensive references to Jewish people and Muslims, prompting widespread criticism.