Barça to close its singing section after fans refuse to cover €21k fines

FC Barcelona and its own fans are in a dispute that will now see the club closing the singing section of the Montjuïc stadium for the foreseeable future. 

Barça want the various supporters groups that comprise the singing section behind one of the goals to cover fines given to the club amounting to €21,000 for various incidents last season.

According to the club, the fines come from 14 different incidents of "behaviour contrary to the regulations" and the club gave the supporters three different deadlines to pay the costs of the fines, the last of which expired on Monday at midnight. 

There is no date set for the reopening of the singing section, and it will remain closed until the issue is resolved one way or another. 

Barcelona take on Brest in the Champions League on Tuesday night, which will be the first game with the singing section in the stadium closed. 

Four different supporters groups make up the singing section behind the goal, Almogàvers, Front 532, Nostra Ensenya and Supporters Barça, and they say that the responsibility for specific incidents cannot be collective. Instead, they feel it should be down to whoever sang offensive chants or lit a flare.

The fans will want to return for the next home league match against Las Palmas on Saturday at 2 pm, but much will have to change for the situation to be resovled by then, as both sides are far from an agreement and the fans have no intention of paying the fines.