Barcelona Charged by UEFA for Yellow Balloons Thrown on to Pitch

Barcelona have been charged by UEFA after yellow balloons thrown on to the pitch by fans briefly interrupted their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Roma, per the Press Association (via ESPN FC).

The club's supporters released the balloons shortly after a series of pro-Catalan chants in the 17th minute on Wednesday, which took place at the request of pro-independence groups, according to Luis F. Rojo for Marca. The match was halted briefly to clear the balloons from the pitch.

Barcelona have been punished for breaching Article 16 (2): the throwing of objects. Although the colour of the balloons suggests political motives (yellow is strongly associated with the pro-Independence movement in Catalonia), the charge does not make reference to politics. 

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The demonstration is possibly related to the continued imprisonment of Catalan politicians following the Catalan independence referendum on October 1, which the Spanish government consider to be illegitimate. 

Rojo had reported that Barca did not expect to receive punishment for the disruption, asserting that the gravitas of the political situation meant UEFA "understood the tension."

Club officials were reported by Rojo to have done "diplomatic work" with the governing body to show they were attempting to deal with the ongoing issues inside the Camp Nou.

Barcelona face Leganes in La Liga on Saturday hoping to maintain their nine-point lead at the top of the table on nearest rivals Atletico Madrid. They travel to Rome for the return leg of the Champions League quarter-final three days later. Holding a 4-1 lead, they are highly likely to host another home game in UEFA's premier competition this season.

However, any impending sanctions will not affect the 2017-18 campaign. Barcelona's case is to be seen by the UEFA control, ethics and disciplinary body on May 31, five days after the Champions League final on May 26.