Barcelona v Real Madrid: racism claim stokes Champions League semi-final feud in second leg at the Nou Camp

Barcelona v Real Madrid: racism claim stokes Champions League semi-final feud in second leg at the Nou Camp

The Antics Road Show rolled into Catalonia on Monday, bringing more bile and posturing between Spain’s greatest two clubs. Bad blood continues to flow unstaunched between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

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By Henry Winter, Football Correspondent in Barcelona 11:30PM BST 02 May 2011

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Real on Monday released a video purporting to show Barcelona’s midfielder, Sergio Busquets, saying “mono, mono” — “monkey, monkey” — at the Real left-back, Marcelo. They then followed up with an outspoken attack on Barcelona and Uefa. “This [Uefa] is an organisation that has T-shirts saying Respect and Fair Play, but there’s going to be players on the pitch [on Tuesday night] who don’t respect this sort of thing,’’ said Aitor Karanka, Jose Mourinho’s assistant. “There have been racist insults made while covering their mouths. We’d like those players not to be on the pitch.

“After what happened today, the match is in the background. But we are Real Madrid. We are an institution, a symbol, we have been around for 109 years, we will go out and fight. Uefa has not banned these players. We say over and over there are double standards. Some months ago Real Madrid’s players and coach were banned for something not in regulations (the cleaning of the bookings of Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos against Ajax). Now players are not banned for things that are apparent.”

Madrid’s accusation drew a swift, dismissive response from Barcelona. Pep Guardiola leapt to the defence of Busquets. “I know these kind of players, all of them,” the Barcelona coach said. “They are an example of professionalism, of honesty. They love the values of the sport.

“They know we play for the rest of the world. Of course they can make mistakes but as a human, they are an example as a player of Barcelona, as players of Spain.” If the claims of racism against Busquets were proven, Guardiola promised “we would take action”. He added: “We would be very upset. But if an opponent makes allegation, Uefa has to decide. Aitor has said it is 109 years of history for Real, so he can make claims and allegations, but they do not have the power to decide who can play. If Real do not agree with sanctions, they have lawyers and they can appeal to Uefa.

“They might think we are unsporting but I think exactly the opposite.

“Fourteen of the 20 players in the squad have grown up in this house and they all respect the values of the house. They have been educated and trained to play Champions League finals. We make mistakes, but we try to play the best possible football for the people.” Guardiola said that he “was getting sick of playing Madrid” because of all the noises off the pitch. He attempted, briefly, to focus on the game. “We will have 11 extraordinary players from Real Madrid and a coach who wants to knock us out,” Guardiola said. “This is the reality. Everything else is theatre.” At least he should avoid bumping into Mourinho out front or backstage.

After being sent to the stands at the Bernabéu for mocking the decision to dismiss Pepe, Mourinho is banned from the dugout and the dressing-room area. “His ability to communicate should not be affected,” Karanka said. “It happened in the Auxerre game when we won. He was not allowed on the bench or near the dressing-room.”

Mourinho has circumvented such Uefa restrictions during his Chelsea days, reportedly being smuggled into the Stamford Bridge dressing-room in a laundry skip in 2005 to give the half-time talk after being banned for the quarter-final with Bayern Munich. Chelsea’s then goalkeeping coach, Silvino Lauro, went in and out of the dressing-room, relaying messages. Uefa has no plans to monitor Portugal’s answer to Harry Houdini.

Uefa will doubtless be relieved when this fraction-filled tie is over.

Emotions, light and dark, are running high here. Real’s coach drew up outside their hotel to be greeted with chants of “Madrid whores”. Disappointment then reigned as Mourinho and his players had hopped off early.

A mile away, at the Nou Camp, Eric Abidal attended Barcelona training, the defender having recovered from cancer. It was one of the few uplifting moments of an otherwise dispiriting, cloud-filled day.

Before training, Xavi was drawn into the debate about Madrid. The midfielder said it “was regrettable” that Madrid filed complaints about the play-acting of some of his team-mates like Dani Alves, Busquets and Pedro. “It’s pathetic for Madrid to report us to Uefa.” Uefa on Monday dismissed those accusations as well Barcelona’s complaints about Mourinho’s comments about Guardiola in the run-up to the first leg.

Maybe the suits from Nyon were simply clearing their in-trays before considering the racism allegations.

The whole circus frustrated Xavi. “It is impossible to stay away from the tension,’’ the midfielder said. “I feel sad that there is so much spoken outside of the game. Of course Real has its own weapons, its own coach, a controversial coach, as he’s always been.” Xavi could scarcely contain his contempt for Madrid’s “ultra-defensive” tactics. “The football we all like is attacking, adventurous,’’ he said.

“Fans want to see a team going for goal, not a defensive team waiting in the back. They want to see a big show. Our supporters wouldn’t allow us to be any other way. We only know how to play joyfully.’’ Even Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo questioned Mourinho’s cautious approach to the home leg they eventually lost 2-0. “These are individual opinions,’’ Karanka said. “Cristiano said what he said. He knows why he said that. He will be in the starting team and we will try to go to the final.” Such is the tension between the clubs that last week Barcelona papers even carried close-up pictures of the Bernabéu grass, showing that it had been allowed to grow in a [vainful] attempt to slow up Lionel Messi and company.

“It’s lamentable that there’s no rule on grass length when there are rules about everything,’’ Xavi said.

Mourinho has lost many friends over the past week. Even Ottmar Hitzfeld, the coach of Switzerland, and not a man given easily to disparaging remarks, said: “Luckily, Mourinho’s destructive tactics, aimed solely at provoking and destroying the opponents’ game plan, did not work,’’ Hitzfeld told Kicker magazine. “It’s really shameful for Real Madrid. It harms the good name and image of this legendary club. I’ve met him at Uefa meetings and his behaviour is faithful to his image: arrogant, haughty, chewing gum and somewhat of a boor. Barça should make him pay on the pitch.”
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