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Greenpeace and Basel agree settlement

Greenpeace protesters making a statement at St. Yakob-Park © Getty Images

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Greenpeace have reached an agreement with Basel after the Swiss club were handed a €30,000 fine for the environmental organisation's protest during the Champions League match against Schalke last month.

The Swiss club have agreed to pay the UEFA fine, in return for Greenpeace paying a "significant sum" to an affiliated Romanian orphanage, although they will still seek legal action for trespassing.

More than a dozen Greenpeace representatives abseiled from the roof of St. Yakob-Park on October 1 to unveil a banner in front of UEFA president Michel Platini, criticising Gazprom, the Russian natural gas company that sponsors the Champions League and the German side.

The banner, which read, "Gazprom: Don't Foul the Arctic", suspended play for five minutes and meant that Basel were handed the 30,000 euro penalty on October 17 for "insufficient organisation."

"At the suggestion of FC Basel, the organisation Greenpeace […] as an atonement, donates a significant amount of money to a children's home in Romania, to which FC Basel 1893 has close ties," a statement read on the Swiss club's website.

"FC Basel 1893 accepts this form of atonement by Greenpeace and guarantees that the significant sum will be fully transferred to the payee. In return FCB will pay the UEFA fine, but will uphold their trespass charges against Greenpeace.

"In addition, FCB has increased its security as a result of this event."

Greenpeace has confirmed the settlement, and added via an official statement: "The action was not directed against FCB, but against a third party organisation."

"Greenpeace regrets, therefore, that FCB has suffered damage by our action."

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