Barcelona Manager Xavi Condemns Tension Ahead of Clasico Clash with Real Madrid
Barcelona manager Xavi has expressed his disappointment with the current state of tension between Barcelona and Real Madrid ahead of their highly anticipated Clasico clash on Saturday. This comes after a Barcelona board member allegedly made a derogatory comment about Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior on social media.
The tweet, which has since been deleted, criticized Vinicius Junior for performing a series of stepovers during Real Madrid’s Champions League victory over Braga. The tweet read, “It’s not racism, he deserves a slap for being a clown. What do these unnecessary and meaningless stepovers represent in the center of the field?”
Xavi refused to comment on reports that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez would not be attending the Clasico following the tweet. He stated, “If he deleted the tweet… I’ll stay with that. But I don’t like anything that generates tension ahead of a game like this. I don’t like the tweet, I don’t like to see referees being pressured. I’d love to get into a Clasico with the biggest respect among clubs, even with us admiring each other. Not this current state.”
The tensions between Barcelona and Real Madrid have been escalating this year, particularly due to the ongoing Negreira case. Barcelona has been facing corruption charges since March over payments made to the vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. The case relates to payments made between 2001 and 2018.
Negreira has denied favoring Barcelona in terms of refereeing decisions, and Barcelona has also denied any wrongdoing. They claimed to have hired Negreira as an “external consultant” who provided reports related to professional refereeing.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez did not attend last season’s Clasico at Camp Nou in March amid the backdrop of the Negreira case. It remains to be seen whether he will be present at the upcoming Clasico.
Barcelona vice president Rafael Yuste also condemned the tweet made by board member Mikel Camps and assured that such behavior would not be repeated. He stated, “Even if it was a lapse, it is a bad comment to make. It was a huge mistake. If Vinicius is listening to me, I can tell him this is not going to happen again.”
Vinicius Junior has been subjected to racial abuse during a La Liga game against Sevilla on Saturday. This incident adds to the long list of abusive incidents the Brazilian has endured over the past two seasons. La Liga has taken action on 10 separate occasions, and Vinicius Junior expressed his frustration by stating, “19 isolated incidents and counting.”
The Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid is always a highly anticipated match, but the recent tensions between the two clubs have added an extra layer of intensity. Xavi’s comments reflect his desire for a Clasico where respect and admiration prevail, rather than animosity and tension.
As the teams prepare to face each other at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium on Saturday, football fans around the world will be eagerly watching to see how this intense rivalry unfolds on the pitch.