La Liga
COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS FORCE BARCELONA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION POSTPONEMENT
Barcelona announced on Friday (Jan 15) that the club’s presidential elections have been postponed after a rise in coronavirus cases prompted heavy restrictions in the region.
The elections were set for January 24 but the Catalonian government told the club on Friday morning that exceptions to the rules would not be made to allow people to vote.
The delay means Barcelona will not have a new regime in charge for the last week of the January transfer window while Lionel Messi’s future is set to remain unresolved for a while longer.
Messi’s contract expires at the end of June, when he could leave the club for free, having failed in an attempt to secure an exit last summer.
A new date has not been set for the elections but the club said in a statement it would ask the Catalonian government to allow people to vote by post.
The statement read: “For its part, the club has understood the impossibility of holding elections on the scheduled date due to mobility restrictions decreed by the Catalan Government in the current context of pandemic, which is why the date of the elections must be delayed.
“In this sense, the club has asked the Catalan Government to evaluate the possibility of modifying the current sports legislation in order to enable voting by post on the new date of the elections, a request that the Government has undertaken to study.”
Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa are the three candidates who will stand, after each gained the required number of signatures from club members.
Laporta and Font are considered the two favourites to win.
Laporta was Barca president between 2003 and 2010, overseeing the appointment of Pep Guardiola as coach and his hugely successful first two years in charge.
Laporta also claims to enjoy a close relationship with Messi and insists the Argentinian can be persuaded to stay.
Font, meanwhile, has framed himself as the candidate for the future, although he has also been clear that Messi signing a new contract would be a priority.
Font has been keen to emphasise his close ties with Xavi Hernandez, the club’s former midfielder touted as a potential replacement for Ronald Koeman as coach.
Laporta, Font and Freixa are bidding to succeed Josep Maria Bartomeu, who brought his turbulent tenure as president to an end in October, following mounting pressure from fans and his public falling out with Messi.
After a dismal year on the pitch, Barca fans will hope a new president brings a fresh start but the winning candidate will be constrained by the club’s dire financial situation, caused by an enormous wage bill and worsened by the consequences of the pandemic.
Shortly before Bartomeu resigned in October, Barcelona had announced losses of €97 million (S$155.83 million) for the previous season, with debt more than doubling to €488 million.
The team are third in La Liga, seven points behind Atletico Madrid, who have two games in hand.
An interim board has been led by Carles Tusquets since October.
The three candidates will meet with Tusquets later on Friday when a new election schedule could be confirmed.
-AFP
Barcelona turned the Clasico into a coronation on Sunday, swatting aside Real Madrid 2-0 at a roaring Camp Nou to claim their 29th LaLiga title.
Hansi Flick’s side moved to an unassailable 91 points, 14 clear of second-placed Real with three games remaining.
The triumph capped a dominant campaign in which they lost only four league matches. Villarreal are third on 69 points.
Real arrived needing victory to keep their wafer-thin title hopes alive, but Marcus Rashford crushed those aspirations just nine minutes into the game.
Antonio Rudiger fouled Ferran Torres just outside the box, and Rashford bent a superb free kick into Thibaut Courtois’ top-left corner, giving Barcelona the early lead and sending the home crowd into raptures.
Nine minutes later, Barcelona doubled the lead. Fermin Lopez crossed into the area, and Dani Olmo produced a clever backheel that sent the ball into the path of Torres, who rifled a fierce strike into the top corner.
The win completed back-to-back league titles for Flick, who also delivered the LaLiga and Copa del Rey double in his first season last year.
Both sides were heavily depleted. Barcelona were without Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Jules Kounde from the starting lineup.
Real’s list of missing players was longer, with Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy, Arda Guler and Rodrygo all absent. Federico Valverde also missed out after suffering a head injury following a midweek changing-room fight with team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni, with both players fined 500,000 euros over the incident.
Kylian Mbappe did not travel because of a leg muscle injury, forcing manager Alvaro Arbeloa to start Vinicius Jr alongside academy striker Gonzalo, with Jude Bellingham and Brahim Diaz pushing forward in support.
Real threatened through Vinicius and Gonzalo before halftime, but Barcelona carried the greater menace. Courtois kept the visitors alive with fine saves from Torres and Rashford before the interval.
Barcelona continued to press after the break, Rashford repeatedly tormenting left back Fran Garcia down the right, while Courtois produced another sharp stop with his left foot to deny Torres from point-blank range in the 56th minute.
Bellingham had a goal ruled out for offside in the 62nd minute, and Joan Garcia was quick to deny Vinicius in a one-on-one, preventing the Brazilian from lifting the ball over him.
Real kept probing late on, but there was little bite in their attack, and Barcelona calmly saw out the win before the title celebrations began.
“This title is even more special because we won it at home against Real Madrid. Now it’s time to enjoy it with the fans,” Frenkie de Jong told Spanish broadcaster Movistar Plus.
“Every title has to be celebrated in style. Especially LaLiga, which is a year-long competition. We’ve clearly been the best in Spain.”
-Reuters
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Real Zaragoza goalkeeper Esteban Andrada was sent off for punching Huesca captain Jorge Pulido in a fiery Spanish second division clash on Sunday that descended into a mass brawl, with Huesca keeper Dani Jimenez dismissed for punching Andrada.
Zaragoza’s Dani Tasende was also dismissed after a VAR review of the brawl.
With tensions simmering in a relegation scrap, Argentine Andrada lost his composure moments before the final whistle. Ignoring the run of play, he approached Pulido and struck him in the face with his right hand, sparking chaotic scenes eight minutes into stoppage time.
It was an ugly flashpoint in a match already short on finesse and heavy on nerves, and could carry serious consequences for the goalkeeper.
Huesca manager Jose Luis did not attempt to defend the scenes.
“It’s hard to explain; I think it’s a complete loss of control. I can put myself in their shoes, given what was at stake and all. But it’s unjustifiable. It’s just that I don’t know what to do or how to stop it; a brawl breaks out,” he said.
“It’s ugly; this was supposed to be a celebration of Aragonese football. I’d like people to talk about the match, even though it was ugly, with little play but a lot of hard work.”
Oscar Sielva’s goal secured a 1-0 win for Huesca, lifting them to 36 points in 19th place, while Zaragoza remain second-bottom on 35.
-Reuters
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Joan Laporta has been re-elected as Barcelona president after winning over 68 percent of the vote and will begin his second consecutive term, and fourth overall, from July 1, the club said on Sunday.
The 63-year-old took office in March 2021 and stepped down last month in line with club statutes in order to seek re-election.
Laporta described the election as a “celebration of democracy and civic responsibility” and said the tasks ahead included finishing work on the Camp Nou and strengthening the men’s team.
-Reuters
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