Barcelona must play their next away Champions League game without their fans and pay a 10,000-euro ($11,000) fine for a racist fan banner, UEFA ruled on Friday.

Fans of the Spanish club displayed a “Flick Heil” sign, echoing the Nazis’ “Sieg Heil”, in reference to their club’s German coach Hansi Flick as they played at Monaco on September 19.

“FC Barcelona reject any type of justification for violence,” the club said in a statement, adding it “will both comply with and apply this sanction”.

“The club is set to strengthen current measures and adopt suitable further initiatives to prevent future occurrences and apply sanctions to those responsible,” the statement added.

Barcelona’s next away game is at Serbian club Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade on November 6. They lost the game at Monaco 2-1.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed Randy Waldrum’s resignation as the Super Falcons head coach.

The federation confirmed the American’s exit in a statement on Thursday.

There were reports that Waldrum submitted a resignation letter to NFF earlier this month.

In the viral letter, the 67-year-old cited his wife’s “health issues” as the primary reason for his exit.

NFF failed to say anything in public concerning the development until now.

“The Executive Committee also approved the Technical and Development Sub-Committee recommendation for Coach Justin Madugu to lead the remaining technical crew and take charge of the Senior Women National Team, Super Falcons, pending the appointment of a substantive Head Coach,” the statement reads.

Waldrum took charge of the Super Falcons in 2020. Three years earlier, he had turned down the job to manage the team.

The coach combined the Falcons’ role with the Pittsburgh Panthers.

During his four-year reign at the helm, Waldrum led the team to the 2022 African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) and finished fourth.

He also managed the team to the 2023 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia. Nigeria drew Canada, defeated Australia, and held Ireland in the group stage to progress to the second round, where they lost to England on penalties.

Waldrum also helped the Falcons qualify for the team’s first Olympics since 2008. However, the ladies failed to win a match in a group that included Spain, Japan, and Brazil at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

France World Cup winner Raphael Varane on Tuesday announced his retirement from football at the age of 31.

Former Real Madrid and Manchester United center-back Varane had joined Italian club Como for this season but was then excluded from their Serie A squad having suffered a knee injury in August.

“A new life begins off the pitch,” Varane said on social media.

“I will remain with Como. Just without using my boots and shin pads.

“Something I am looking forward to sharing more about soon,” the four-time Champions League winner added.