The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) fined Real Madrid on Friday after one of its fans performed a Nazi salute before its match against Benfica in the Champions League last week. UEFA's disciplinary body also imposed a partial closure of a stand at the club's stadium for 500 seats, with the suspension of the penalty for a year under observation. The club was also fined 15,000 euros (about 17,000 dollars) for 'the racist and/or discriminatory behavior of its supporters' during the second leg of the play-off for the round of 16 of the main European tournament, in which Real Madrid defeated Benfica 2-1 on February 25, according to an official statement. Real Madrid ejected one of its fans after footage showed him performing a Nazi salute in the stands before the match started. The first leg also saw a suspected racist incident targeting Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr. by Benfica's Argentine player Gianluca Prestiani, although the midfielder denied the accusations against him. Real Madrid advanced to the round of 16 with an aggregate score of (3-1) and will face English Manchester City.
