Barca president warns Real Madrid
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Xinhua, June 17, 2011
FC Barcelona President Sandro Rosell warned Real Madrid that any further accusations from the club will lead to him breaking off official relations with the Santiago Bernabeu based outfit.
Rosell had always said he would wait until the end of the sporting calendar before giving his conclusions of a season in which Barcelona's football team was crowned champions of Spain and Europe, while the club's basketball and handball teams also won their respective national titles.
However, the Barca president was more concerned with events which had surrounded the four classicos the football team played against Real Madrid in the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League semifinal.
The four matches were surrounded in controversy which began when radio station Cadena Cope announced that Real Madrid suspected some Barcelona players were doping.
Real Madrid denied they had been the source of the leak, but the fact the club has not taken any action against the radio station for false reporting does little to help their case.
Relations worsened following the first leg of the Champions League semifinal in Madrid, which Barcelona won 2-0, when Madrid coach Jose Mourinho used his post match press conference to accuse Barcelona of being helped by UEFA and the referees in the competition. Mourinho went as far as to say he would have been " ashamed" to have won the 2009 Champions League title if he had been at the club and even accused UNICEF of helping influence decisions in Barca's favor.
Real Madrid then sent a report to UEFA trying to get eight Barcelona players suspended for supposed unsporting behavior in the match in retaliation to Barcelona asking UEFA to sanction Mourinho for questioning the club's success.
"There are situations that cannot be repeated in the future," said Rosell on Thursday.
"The press conference that the Real Madrid coach gave after the semifinal first leg in the Bernabeu would shame anyone who believes in sportsmanship," he said.
"Real Madrid's reply to denounce up to eight of our players for unsporting conduct and even racism with the aim of not allowing them to compete in the return leg, was also surprising," added Rosell.
"They provoked us, but with help firm and the exhibition that our players gave in the final at Wembley (which Barca won 3-1 against Manchester United), is the best reply to the attacks we have received this season. Once again football has put everyone in their place," he said.
Rosell then issued a warning that his club would not accept a repeat of Real Madrid's behavior in future.
"If they overstep the limits of sportsmanship again, we will be obliged to end institutional relations. We don't want to do that, but we won't be scared of doing so if we have to," he said.
Finally the Barcelona President make clear his disgust at the accusation of doping
"I assure you that if someone acting Barca's name had dared make a similar accusation, we would have acted strongly and taken them to court. We would have like to have seen a similar response from Real Madrid, but lamentable it didn't happen," said Rosell.
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