The Lord Jesus Christ tells us in the pages of sacred scripture that if we truly follow Him, if we live according to His commandments and boldly proclaim the Gospel, the world is going to hate us because it first hated Him.
Recent actions by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) have put that truth on full display after fans watching a professional soccer match created an enormous icon of St. Simon along with a caption that read, “May our faith lead you to victory.”
Fans supported the Serbian team Red Star from Belgrade, but UEFA fined the club over $46,000 and claimed that the icon “transmitted a message not fit for a sports event” and allegedly “brought football and UEFA into disrepute.” My question is whether UEFA would have similarly fined the team if fans had held up signs containing a passage from the Koran? Or any other religious imagery or text, for that matter.
Something in my bones tells me they wouldn’t have. The world hates Christianity because those who follow Christ passionately allow the Holy Spirit to shine His light through them into a world in love with its own sin and darkness. This incident clearly targeted the Christian faith. It demonstrates just how much of a foothold evil has in the world.
🚨 This is an absolute disgrace and a scandal! #UEFA has fined Crvena Zvezda €95,500 over this choreography!
The largest portion €40,000 was issued for allegedly “displaying a message deemed inappropriate for a sporting event and for supposedly undermining the reputation and… pic.twitter.com/Sfxnx4gX4t
— Based Serbia (@SerbiaBased) March 27, 2026
Christians responded to the incident and pointed out on social media that UEFA often engages in “selective enforcement of rules” and maintains “clear double standards.” For example, when fans present Satanic imagery at games, UEFA makes no fuss. Officials punish no teams and issue no fines. It’s almost as if UEFA admires the Evil One. Or at least the people who run it do.
“Why is doing one with literally Satan, a pentagram, and a phrase in Latin asking the devil to take their souls okay but a Christian saint isn’t?” asked popular Catholic account Trad West.
Why is doing one with literally Satan a pentagram and a phrase in latin asking the devil to take their souls okay but a Christian Saint isn’t? pic.twitter.com/uabDZzkLZo
— Trad West (@trad_west_) March 27, 2026
“UEFA themselves promoted the Black Lives Matter cult and rainbow LGBT propaganda for years with no problem. But they hit Serbian club Crvena Zvezda with a massive fine for a simple Christian fan message: ‘May our faith lead you to victory!'” Slavic Networks, quoting German politician Tomasz Froelich, said on X.
“They sold out real European Christian values. They attack Slavic faith and traditions while forcing their woke madness on everyone. Pure betrayal of our roots!” Slavic Networks said. “This is open war on Slavic pride and Christianity,” Froelich said.
Greece’s Fragkos Ammanouil, an Orthodox Member of the European Parliament, reacted furiously to the fine against the team and said that he has “formally submitted a letter to the European Commissioner for Sport regarding the fine imposed after the Red Star Belgrade incident, raising serious concerns about UEFA’s stance on Orthodox Christian expression.”
“Selective enforcement of rules exposes clear double standards,” Fragkoulis stated in his chastisement of UEFA. “Neutrality cannot be claimed when faith is treated unequally.”
“UEFA claims neutrality, yet its application appears selective,” Fragkoulis concluded. “The case strengthens the perception that cultural and religious expressions face harsher judgment than other forms of messaging, even when they remain positive and non-violent.”
Unbelievers have persecuted Christians since the very beginning, so we shouldn’t be surprised, especially after Jesus’ warning, by any flak we catch from a world corrupted by sin and the devil. It may shock some people, considering we live in a so-called “advanced and progressive civilization,” but the truth remains that human nature hasn’t changed throughout the millennia. We are still fallen, still sinful, and still need Jesus to set us free from it all.
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