Bartomeu defends Barca decision to play match behind closed doors

● Club action was to condemn the use of force to deny Catalans their right to vote

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has defended the decision to play Sunday’s match against Las Palmas behind closed doors.

The Laliga leaders played at an empty Nou Camp after a request to have the game postponed, amid widespread political unrest and violence in Catalonia, was turned down.

News the game would go ahead was communicated just 20 minutes before the scheduled kick-off with thousands of supporters locked out.

Across the region more than 890 civilians and some 430 members of the police force were injured as the people of Catalonia voted in an independence referendum which had been declared illegal by the Spanish government.

Barcelona’s decision has attracted criticism from both sides of the independence debate but Bartomeu is convinced it was the best way for the club to protest against the actions of police and government.

Bartomeu said in a statement:“yesterdayweexpressed our rejection and vehement condemnation of the serious events that we experienced in our country, with abusive and indiscriminate use of force to prevent millions of people from exercising the right to vote.

“In this context, here at FC Barcelona we decided that we had to take some kind of measure to show our indignation to the world.

“I finally decided that we 0 Josep Maria Bartomeu: Considered postponement. would play the game, but as an exceptional measure, behind closed doors.

“We perfectly understand that many of our members and fans would have preferred the option of calling off the match. That is why I must say that this was one of the most difficult decisions that I have ever had to make as Barca president.

“We very seriously considered the option of postponing the game, but we could not get the Liga de Futbol Profesional to approve our request. Having reached that point, I decided to play behind closed doors because we believed that the image of a football match being played in a completely empty Camp Nou would have been an act of responsibility and would have been a way of showing how we utterly reject the exceptional and inadmissible situation going on around Catalonia.”

Barcelona could have faced a six-point penalty had they opted not to play the game, which they won 3-0.

Bartomeu added that as “a club of such global scope” Barca would continue to take a forthright stance on such matters.

Former Barca manager Pep Guardiola was among those to have criticised the decision to play.

The Catalan, who is now at Manchester City, told Catalunya Radio and RAC1: “I wouldn’t have played the Barca-las Palmas game, not at all.

“And if it did have to be played, then not behind closed doors. You do it with the public there. With all the consequences.”

Bartomeu also confirmed two directors, vice-president Carles Vilarrubi and Jordi Mones, had resigned following an extraordinary general meeting yesterday.

The club’s players will today take part in a strike being held in the region to protest against the Spanish government’s actions.

None of the club’s professional sports teams will train. The youth teams will also be inactive and the club headquarters will be closed as a reaction to government attempts to stop the referendum.

Another local club, Girona, have also suspended training for the day and Barca’s city rivals Espanyol, the other Catalan club in the Spanish league, will have their players undergo physical activities behind closed doors at their training camp. Shelley Kerr has made three changes to her Scotland squad for this month’s opening World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Albania.

Defenders Emma Mitchell and Jen Beattie return from injury at the expense of Frankie Brown and Vaila Barsley. There is a first call-up for young Hibernian goalkeeper Jenna Fife, who replaces Celtic’s Megan Cunningham. Kerr watched Mitchell and Beattie play in Saturday’s FA WSL game between Manchester City and Arsenal, which also featured three other players in her squad.

“It was fantastic for me to see so many Scotland players in that game,” Kerr said. “It’s a strong squad and the players who have been omitted will get feedback.

“It’s the national team, and there should be competition for places. That’s part of our mantra and the door is always open for other players as well.

“Jenna is doing really well and the message we’re sending out is that players will be judged on current form. She deserves her opportunity.”

There are four Glasgow City players in the squad and three of them flew out to Kazakhstan yesterday for tomorrow’s Women’s Champions League last 32 tie against Biik-kazygurt. Missing was Scotland’s most capped outfield player Jo Love, who was unable to get time off work from her employers.

City were due to arrive in Shymkent, in the southeast corner of the country, early hours of this morning following a 16-hour journey via Moscow.

“It’s a case of in and out of the country as quickly as we could,” City head coach Scott Booth said. “It has taken a bit of planning but at least we know what to expect. The travelling is going to take a bit out of us, but the biggest issue is us handling Kazygurt as a team. Losing Jo is a blow. She’s such an important player for the team.”

Like City, the Kazakh title holders have extensive Champions League experience. They reached the last 16 last season, losing to eventual finalists Paris Saint-germain.