Barcelona has shifted focus to today’s match against Chelsea FC rather than responding directly to Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez’s recent attacks. Speaking ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash at Stamford Bridge, Barça’s vice president Rafa Yuste was in charge of delivering that message.
“Today we have to answer on the field,” Yuste told the media outside Barcelona’s London hotel. “This is a day to think about the match and nothing else.”
Florentino Pérez had used the Real Madrid assembly on Sunday to launch a broad critique, targeting figures like Javier Tebas, La Liga, the Spanish Federation, referees, UEFA, and particularly Barcelona, in connection with the Negreira case and the Miami match.
Critics will question whether Barcelona’s response is satisfactory given the legal hot water they could be in, however, as of today the club has not been found guilty of the various charges they have been accused of.
Yuste also highlighted the challenge that awaits Hansi Flick’s team at Chelsea, currently second in the Premier League. “We face a team that is playing very well, but we have to show that we are Barça,” he said.
The vice president also shared a personal note on Stamford Bridge. “I have very good memories of this stadium,” he said, recalling the many historic moments Barcelona has experienced there, including the famous ‘Iniestazo’ of the 2008-09 season, when Andrés Iniesta scored a last minute goal that meant Barcelona would move on to win the Champions League rather than crash out.
