FC Barcelona – Xavi on ticketing to fans of Eintracht Frankfurt: “planning error”
Xavi Hernández
Barca coach Xavi spoke of a “planning error” in connection with the ticket allocation in the Europa League, which needs to be addressed.
Coach Xavi has criticized the ticket allocation in FC Barcelona’s defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt. Frankfurt “felt at home,” said the 42-year-old after the 2: 3 (0: 2) of the Catalans in the quarter-final second leg of the Europa League: “Of course that didn’t help. It’s a planning error.”
Around 30,000 Frankfurt fans had put the Catalan city in a state of emergency even before kick-off. In the stadium, tens of thousands of Eintracht supporters among the total of 79,468 spectators created a fabulous atmosphere, numerous fans of Hessen had also bought tickets outside the away block.
Barca President Laporta: Tens of thousands of Frankfurt fans at Camp Nou a “shame”
“We want to know what happened. If we play at home, it can’t happen,” said Xavi. The former pro likened the situation to a final where half the stadium is for one team and the other half for the other team. “That was disappointing,” he said.
Barca’s president Joan Laporta was also outraged. “I’m concerned because what happened was a disgrace that must not be repeated,” he said, announcing a reappraisal: “We will take action because that is shameful.”
Frankfurt board member Axel Hellmann, on the other hand, defended those responsible at Barcelona. “FC Barcelona is not to blame for that,” he said: “Our fans are the most creative when it comes to getting tickets in any way. It was like that and will always be like that.”