Xavi Hernández at a FC Barcelona press conference.
Photo: Quique Garcia / EFE
FC Barcelona is experiencing moments of tension after the local courts directly accused it of buying referees in Spain. This Saturday, the Catalans played Athletic Club Bilbao as visitors at the San Mamés Stadium and received hostile treatment that saddened coach Xavi Hernández.
In the press conference after the game, the DT expressed his disappointment regarding the signs of repudiation that he experienced with his players. “I respect the public of San Mamés. They have always treated me very well and this atmosphere of hostility towards Barca surprises me and makes me sad. Judging ahead of time is not good for society”he indicated after the 0-1 victory of his team.
“The public is sovereign and I respect everyone’s opinions, but it saddens me,” he said. Barca had to face the worst of environments thanks to the accusations of corruption that weigh on the entity.
The fans present in the stadium chanted to the rhythm of “a second oe”, in a clear allusion to one of the possible sanctions that the club could face in case its guilt is proven in this conflict of interest where it was paid for almost two decades to a high position of the Committee of Referees.
The players also suffered firsthand rejection from the public when they threw colored bills onto the field with the word mafia accompanied by the dollar sign ($).
As if that were not enough, the controversy increased even more when Iñaki Williams, a player from the local team, had a goal disallowed. A decision with which Xavi agrees, since he considers that there was a previous hand. This Sunday it became known that Real Madrid will be one of the clubs that will participate in the accusation against FC Barcelona in order to defend their interests.
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