Barcelona, Juventus aim for simple plan
Champions League final attempts to deflect spotlight from FIFA scandal
After one of soccer’s most destructive scandals, the task facing Barcelona and Juventus in the Champions League final on Saturday seems simple.
Showing the sport at its best, with an entertaining demonstration of artistry, should ensure that the limelight swings back on the players for at least a couple of hours.
It would seem a heavy burden if not for Lionel Messi. “There are moments when Messi has the ball and what happens next is only down to him,” Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano said. “No matter what his opponents do.”
Just look at the 10 goals he has already scored in the 12 games en route to the final in Berlin. He is now trying to become the first player to score in three Champions League finals after netting in Barca’s 2009 and 2011 triumphs.
“An extraterrestrial who plays with us humans,” is how Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon lauded the player he is preparing to face on Saturday.
As the FIFA crisis rumbles on, here are some things to know about the Champions League final:
THE POLITICAL GAME
Behind the scenes in Germany, the intrigue surrounding European soccer’s showpiece will all be about who replaces Sepp Blatter at the helm of FIFA. Blatter succumbed to the intensifying pressure on his presidency by announcing plans to resign on Tuesday — only four days after his re-election. Berlin could mark the start of unofficial electioneering, with UEFA president Michel Platini the favourite to succeed Blatter when the vote takes place sometime between December and March.
RESTORATION OF JUVE
Juventus is back in the final for the first time since 2003 and the “Calciopoli” match-fixing scandal that emerged three years later. After being revealed to have influenced refereeing, Juventus was stripped of its 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles and relegated from the top-flight. The club’s reputation has since been restored, its won the last four Italian titles, and now has a shot at lifting the European Cup for the first time since 1996.
BARCA’S LEGAL WOES
The Catalan giants are banned from signing any players this year after being found by FIFA to have broken rules on registering minors as youth players. The club is also facing a damaging court case in which Barca president Josep Bartomeu and predecessor Alexandre (Sandro) Rosell are accused of tax evasion, including over the signing of Brazil striker Neymar in 2013 for around $120 million US.
FORMIDABLE FORWARDS
Has Neymar’s contribution to the team been worth the legal strife? The outcome of legal proceedings could determine that. On the field, the link-up between Neymar, Messi and $110-million 2014 recruit Luis Suarez has restored the attacking swagger that naysayers predicted had gone when the team failed to collect a single trophy last season. With the league and Spanish Cup titles already secured, a treble could herald a return to the dominant era under Pep Guardiola between 2008 and 2012.
FAREWELLS
When the final whistle blows in the Olympic Stadium, it could signal the end of a few players’ careers with their clubs.
Xavi Hernandez has won a clubrecord 24 titles and is leaving after 17 seasons. The 35-year-old midfielder — one of the most accurate passers the game has produced — is off to Qatari club Al-Sadd.
Andrea Pirlo, the 36-year-old midfielder who is also renowned for the proficiency of his passing range and his free kicks, also appears to be nearing the end of his Juve career.