FC Barcelona’s hotel was recently targeted by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans in the middle of the night. A video uploaded to social media by CL Press shows PSG supporters setting off fireworks near the hotel where Xavi Hernandez and his squad were sleeping.
The incident occurred at around 04:10 am local time on Wednesday morning. In the 24-second video, loud explosions and noises can be heard as the person recording the video gets closer to the hotel, which had a police presence outside. This tactic of disrupting the sleep of the visiting team is commonly used in Europe and other parts of the world to potentially affect their performance on the pitch.
In this case, a PSG ultras group called on fans with tickets to create a hostile atmosphere for FC Barcelona, whom they described as “despicable” and often favored by referees. The collectif ultras Paris demanded that the Parc des Princes become a terrifying fortress for their adversaries.
While FC Barcelona may not have the best record at the Parc des Princes, they can draw courage from their fantastic 3-1 quarterfinals win there in the 2014/2015 season.
Managed by Luis Enrique at the time, the team’s victory, which included a brace from Luis Suarez and a goal from Neymar, contributed to their later triumph in the UEFA Champions League final in Berlin.
In subsequent seasons, FC Barcelona experienced a 4-0 defeat at the same ground but managed to reverse the scoreline in the last 16 with the famous 5-1 remontada, also under Luis Enrique’s leadership.
Despite the incident, FC Barcelona will need to focus on their upcoming match against PSG and remain undeterred by the actions of the opposing fans.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
