COPA DEL REY
Barcelona to ban Real Madrid fans from Camp Nou for Copa clash
The club state on their website that: ‘fans who attempt to access the home area with clothing or symbols of the visiting team will have access denied’.
Despite the Camp Nou Copa del Rey semi-final clash against Real Madrid being two months away, controversy already surrounds the game after FC Barcelona stated on their website that Real Madrid fans who attempt to access ‘the local fans area with clothing or symbols of the visiting team will have access denied’.
The website warns that fans who ‘enter the venue/stadium wearing clothing or insignia of the visiting team, may be relocated or expelled’.
A similar situation arose before the Copa del Rey quarter-final game against Real Sociedad but in the end the Catalan side backed down and fans of La Real were admitted.
At present there is no established quota of ticket allocations for away fans in the Spanish Cup, a matter that the RFEF are addressing after Atletico Madrid fans were annoyed after being given just 334 tickets for their recent cup clash at the Bernabéu.
Eintracht experience
Barcelona are still smarting from the experience of last season’s Europa League quarter-final game when more than 30,000 German fans populated the stands after securing tickets via the second hand market and through season ticket holders who were happy to sell their seats.
To avoid a repeat situation in the forthcoming Europa League clash against Manchester United, the Catalan club have put together a series of initiatives to ensure that these scenes are not repeated such as blocking IP addresses and ticket purchase limitations.