A warm welcome turns into insults and offenses directed at the Barça players upon arrival after the final played
When the bus FC Barcelona arrived at the WiZink Center, was received by dozens of fans. But, far from a friendly greeting, the members of the Barça expedition were bombarded with lamentable insults, an action denounced by Jasikevicius about Real Madrid. Hurtful words ranged from “Barça, racist, Spain is Madridista” to offensive terms such as “sons of bitches”, “dogs” and “disgusting rats”.
After the final, the coach of FC Barcelona, Sarunas Jasikevicius, denounced the racist insults directed towards his player James Nnaji. “I want to talk about what happened here. It is a regrettable thing. I think it can’t be. I hear a lot about Vinicius and now we have to talk about what’s happening,” the Barça coach declared at a press conference.
Jasikevicius a defender of dignity in sport
He described the events as “regrettable” and vehemently stated that “this has to stop now. This does not go, I suppose, with the values of Real Madrid and the fans of the club. We are very angry about this.” Jasikevicius stressed that the problem goes beyond Real Madrid or Barcelona, involving the entire sport and its community.
Although not having spoken to Nnaji about the incident, Jasikevicius showed his deep concern for the well-being of his player and the seriousness of the situation. “I don’t know how he is, honestly. It is a very serious thing in this world. Especially when it happens to your people, it is somewhat more sensitive.” In this way, once again, the rudeness of some of the sports fans is revealed.
Jasikevicius’s position an example of courage and commitment
The technician once again demonstrated his staunch defense of dignity in sport, emphasizing their commitment to fight racism. “This is serious, we love James very much, he is a great boy and we want to stop this and talk about it.” Despite the recent victory of his team in the Endesa League, the Barcelona coach highlighted the importance of this incident above the victory: “The most important thing about the title is this.”
Jasikevicius’ post-match speech It was not only meant to point out a disgusting act of racism, but also to emphasize the importance of values in sport. His public denunciation and his commitment to the fight against discrimination set him as an example to follow in the sports world. It is imperative to remember that soccer, like any sport, should be a means of unity, respect and camaraderie, regardless of the rivalry between teams.