BARCELONA TICKETS v BENFICA: A more friendly affair
March 29, 2006 on 11:36 am | In Uncategorized | No CommentsBARCELONA v BENFICA : Wednesday, April 5, 2006 . Camp Nou Kick off: 20:45
After the bitterness and diatribe that surrounded the tie with Chelsea, the quarter final clash with Sport Lisboa E Benfica promises to be a much friendlier affair as Ronald Koeman is welcomed back like a returning hero.
The flame-haired Dutchman is still revered at Camp Nou after he netted the winning goal in the 1992 European Cup Final against Sampdoria
and is widely tipped to become the Balugrana’s coach in the future.
While Jose Mourinho brooded and fumed for the cameras, Koeman will certainly be smiling before this second leg as he is ushered back to the club where he became a legend, whatever the result of the first leg may be. Also in the Portuguese team’s squad are Simao Sabrosa and Geovanni who both had checkered spells with Barça. Simao joined the Blaugrana in the summer of 1999 for 15 million euros from Sporting Club de Portugal, but spent the majority of
the first term on the bench.Midway through his second season, he decided to return his homeland and joined Benfica for 12 million euros and has become a local hero.
Geovanni was another lavish purchase by the previous board at Camp Nou as he
moved from Cruzeiro, in his native Brazil, for 19.6 million euros in 2001. The fleet-footed forward helped Barga reach the semi finals of the Champions League, but was soon on his way to Benfica on loan before a permanent deal was secured in 2003.
While a few of the visitors will be well-known to the Barcelona fans, they will be more relieved to see Carles Puyol back in the team after the club captain missed the first leg in Portugal through suspension. Many Barga pundits and supporters alike are very confident about defeating Koeman’s side and are already musing over whether Milan or Lyon will be their
opponents in the semis.
It may be a hasty move to look beyond this round, but given their opponent’s record so far, there is every reason to believe that Frank Rijkaard’s men are clear .favourites to progress.
Benfica qualified for the kncokout stages when they finished second in Group D, but they only secured two victories from their six matches.
After beating Lille in the opening fixture, they then endured defeats against Manchester United at Old Trafford and at home to Villarreai, who went on to top the table.
Two draws set up a final day clash with United in Portugal and the 2-1 win for Koeman’s men saw them progress.
The first knockout round saw them cause a surprise as they easily dispatched the reigning champions, as they beat Liverpool 1 -0 at home before chalking up a 2-0 win at Anfield. Barcelona are unbeaten so far this season in the competition and appear to be back to their best after a slight blip on the domestic front.
The major worry for Rijkaard is the potential absence of Rafa Marquez and Edmilson, but they should still progress and have the prospect of Xavi returning to the midfield in time for the semi finals.
Koeman may have been a hero in the tournament once, but he will not be tasting European glory at Barcelona on this visit.
FC Barcelona Tickets v Real Madrid
March 28, 2006 on 4:57 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsFC BARCELONA v REAL MADRID: Saturday 1st April, 22′00h
BARCELONA and Real Madrid have their bitter hatred of each other rooted in history and politics, but these days keeping the rivalry well fuelled is more about financial gain and publicity. The two sides go head-to-head on April 2 at Camp Nou in a duel which has little to do with the Catalan giants’ current domination in the league.
The pre-match rhetoric has already begun in Spain’s four daily sports newspapers, two of whom support the Madrilenians and two that support the Catalans.
This year the Madrid-based hacks will have their work cut out when trying to criticise Barga as Frank Rijkaard’s team are proving to be head and shoulders above their arch rivals and have already won 3-0 in El Bernabeu in the first meeting between the two sides earlier this term.
The build-up, the hype and the propaganda are what make this one of the most attractive fixtures in world football, but how much of the traditional rivalry still remains.
Barcelona supporters have always believed that Real Madrid symbolised General Franco’s regime that ruled Spain from 1939 until 1975.
The team in all-white came to represent the dictator himself and Catalans used the team’s visits to vent their resentment for the oppression of the province. Madrilenians in turn saw the Blaugrana as the figurehead of a separatist movement that represented the exact opposite of their own ideals. The Franco years are littered with accusations of match-rigging, bribery, and extreme partisanship as trouble raged both on and off the field when the two teams met. The winning side would always crow and taunt the defeated, while the losers would claim that the matches were already decided before kick off and that they never stood a chance.
One famous incident, that is still likely to open old wounds when mentioned, is the Alfredo Di Stefano transfer saga in the 1950’s. The passing of time has led both sides to accuse the other of underhand dealings, with the Catalans still claiming that Madrid used their political influence to stop the Argentine star lining up alongside their hero Ladislao Kubala.
But the facts shed a very different light on proceedings. Di Stefano was playing in Colombia for Millonarios, where the supporters adored him, while River Plate still held his registration.
During a tour of Spain, he was spotted by Barcelona who immediately contacted Bjver and the Buenos Aires side agreed that he could join the Catalans if Millonarios agreed.
But the Colombians were furious that River had agreed to the deal and said that he would never leave their club. Their anger reached boiling point when Barca persuaded the player to abandon the club during a trip to Venezuela and he publicly vowed never to return to Colombia.
While Millonarios refused to discuss any transfer under the circumstances and Barca refused to return him, Real Madrid made an approach and offered a large sum of money to both River and the Colombians for his services.
The ensuing dogfight finally saw the intervention of the Spanish FA who ruled that both clubs could share the player with Madrid having him for the 1953/54 and 1956/57 seasons and Barca for the 1954/55 and 1957/58 campaigns. But the sudden resignation of Barcelona president Marti Carreto caused chaos at the club and the interim administration cancelled the deal as they sought a new leader and Di Stefano was left to sign for Real. He went on to help Madrid lift the first five European Cups ever played and become one of the world’s most revered players, playing alongside the infamous Ferenc Puskas. It was a highly embarrassing episode for Barca who allowed such a talented player to join their bitter rivals without any help or interference from the government of the time. After the end of Franco’s reign such confrontations have been rare, but Luis Figo changed all that when he switched allegiance in a move that reflected the Di Stefano saga six seasons ago, despite being a hero to the Barca faithful.
After becoming an idol at Camp Nou, Figo demanded that the club award him with a pay rise matching that of the best players in the world or he may have to move elsewhere. Rumours abounded that he had signed a pre-contract with Madrid and that if Real’s presidential candidate Florentino Perez won control of the club he would move to the Spanish capital. Barcelona played Figo’s bluff and refused to meet his terms and in June 2000 he confirmed the rumours by honouring his agreement with the newly installed Real supremo and signing for the European Cup holders.
The Catalans were outraged and showed their incredulity when he returned to Camp Nou in the white of Madrid in October of the same year.
The build-up to the game had an extra edge and the Catalan press took full advantage branding branded him a Judas and encouraging the club’s supporters to give their former hero a ’special’ welcome back.
Missiles reigned down from the stands every time he ventured close to the touchline, while the crescendo of noise and the banners that questioned his morality, parentage and greed made the game a ferocious encounter. Barcelona won 2-0. But Barcelona need to hate Madrid and Real need to hate them back if the worldwide interest in the historic encounter was to be maintained and the money was to keep on rolling in.
The interest, revenue and publicity that each action and word that is aimed in the others direction creates a real air of excitement as the two of the biggest clubs in world football slug it out for supremacy.
The game itself is watched by millions not just in Spain, but all over the world and the interest is fuelled by the public slanging matches and the redrawing of battle lines before every meeting.
With Franco gone, Catalunya is enjoying greater autonomy than Northern Ireland, Scotland or Corsica while the government now has the kind of power and financial control that some European governments will never have and the pinaful memories of
the dictatorship are slowly healing. There are those that want Catalonia to be a separate country and there are those that would like it to fall back under Spanish control, but with neither likely to happen in the foreseeable future, the rivalry between the two factions is now fought on other fronts. The directors, the players, the press and, more specifically, the supporters of both clubs, who need each other as much as Spanish football needs them, fight the fight and keep the flame of hatred burning.
So the hype to this clash is already reaching a crescendo and when both sides enter the field it will be a battle to let the world know who is the best, as much as to settle some historical scores.
Sai’an Supa Tickets
March 28, 2006 on 4:57 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsSai’an Supa Crew in Sala Apolo at 22.00. The biggest rap act in France these days are here to plug their latest round piece of plastic, called Hold Up.
Buy FC Barcelona TicketsLou Dalfin Tickets
March 28, 2006 on 4:57 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsLou Dalfin in Plaga Ruis i Taulet at 22.00. An Italian band that plays the trad folk of the Occitania region. The last of the Tradicionarius 2006 series of concerts, and, what the heck, it’s free in the Graeia square known in some English speaking circles as Rusty Toilet. The bill also features Catalan rumba act Rauxa.
Buy FC Barcelona TicketsLa Cabra Mecanica Tickets
March 28, 2006 on 4:57 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsFriday April 7 La Cabra Mecanica in Sala Bikini at 21.30. They’re from Madrid, but the band members are from all over, giving their sound a more Latino
Buy FC Barcelona TicketsTokio Sex Destruction Tickets
March 28, 2006 on 4:57 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsThursday April 6 Tokio Sex Destruction in Sala Apolo at 21.00. A sort of Spanish The Hives, and they’re good too. Powerful anthe-mic rock, and they ain’t shy when it comes to controversial lyrics, and enjoy references to carnal pleasures. Well, don’t we all?
Buy FC Barcelona TicketsAfu-ra Tickets
March 28, 2006 on 4:54 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsSaturday April 1 Afu-ra in Sala Apolo at 21:30. Hip hop Brooklyn style from a rapper with fascinating lyrics.
Buy FC Barcelona TicketsThe Rakes Tickets
March 28, 2006 on 4:54 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsFriday March 31 The Rakes in Sala Bikini at 21.00. London rockers that supported Franz Ferdinand on their recent tour, and belong to that same genre. They’re making the breakthough just about now, and their latest single All Too Human peaked at No 22 in the UK charts. Loads of their songs reflect on the realities of working life, as is the case with Work, Work, Work (Pub, Club, Sleep), and they are considered one of the best dressed bands around.
Buy FC Barcelona TicketsFC Barcelona Tickets v Unicaja
March 28, 2006 on 4:53 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsBarcelona are 4-0 in their Euroleague Top 16 group, and that is enough to guarantee a quarter final place regardless of what happens in their last two matches, on the road to Olympiakos and then at home to the side with an identical 18-6 record as Barca atop the Spanish ACB League, Unicaja Malaga. And Barca coach, Dusko Ivanovic, will be able to relax in these games, as he has already said that he is not even sure that winning the group to get home court advantage in the next round is much of an advantage anyway. And it’s difficult to decide which of the two potential rivals Barca should prefer. On the one hand you’ve got the formidable Maccabi Tel Aviv, winners of the last two Euroleagues, and on the other you’ve got Real Madrid, and the basketball version of that famous rivalry can be just as intense as it can be on the other side of the car park in the football stadium. In fact, Barcelona host Real Madrid in the Spanish League on Sunday April 9th, at 19.00 and that’s a date well worth jotting in your diary. The basketball team is part of the-same club as the football team, and plays in the Palau Blaugrana, next to the club shop and museum. The cheapest tickets tend to go for around 20 euros
Buy FC Barcelona Tickets12Twelve Tickets
March 28, 2006 on 4:52 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments12Twelve in Sala Apolo at 21.00. Experimental rockers from Barcelona.
Buy FC Barcelona Tickets
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