FC Barcelona take the lead in the standings this weekend. The Barça fans are nevertheless dissatisfied - and show this whistling in their own stadium.
Upside down world in Spain. FC Barcelona take the top of the standings again after a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad. Nevertheless, the fans are in a bad mood - they are even blowing the whistle on their own team.
This led to unusual front pages in the Spanish sports newspapers. Instead of the cheering Messi after the Penalty winner, a picture of Jordi Alba made the headlines. He provocatively covers his ears after the allegedly denied 2-0 win. So the Spaniard is messing with his own fans.
Barça has not been playing the expected attractive football since the change of coach. But that is exactly what the club management wanted to achieve with Quique Setién. Success alone is not enough, as Valverde's dismissal after two league titles in a row shows.
Social media scandal
Even though the players on the field suffer most, the whistles are mainly aimed at the bosses. A month ago, sports director Eric Abidal caused a stir with his criticism of the team.
About two weeks ago, research by the Spanish radio station "Cadena Ser" brought another scandal to light. The club management around Josep Maria Bartomeu is said to have hired a company to improve its reputation on social media. At the same time, however, hundreds of fake profiles from targeted attacks on "rivals" were also supposed to be used.
Among them are potential candidates for the next presidential election such as Victor Font. So far, one can still understand the president's motives. It is questionable that ex-coaches like Pep Guardiola or ex-players like Xavi Hernández have also been targeted. But the real scandal is that current captains Messi and Piqué are also on the list.
Real Madrid have no desire to be number one
Arch-rivals Real Madrid had a chance to regain the top of the standings yesterday. But with an absolutely listless performance at Betis Sevilla and the resulting defeat, they missed the chance.
Whistles against their own team are traditionally heard at Santiago Bernabéu instead of Camp Nou. With their poor performance yesterday, the royals have laid the foundations for a return to normal. Whether or not they succeeded in doing so will be revealed next matchday against Eibar.
Comments