Ronald Koeman reacted for the first time on Tuesday to the harassment by angry fans after Sunday’s lost Clásico against Real Madrid (1-2). The Barcelona coach does not want to focus too much on the incident, but does express his disgust. “It is a social problem,” said Koeman at the press conference prior to Wednesday’s league match against Rayo Vallecano.
Angry Barcelona supporters surrounded the coach’s car, which also included his wife Bartina, when leaving the Camp Nou on Sunday, calling for his resignation, among other things. Koeman had to slow down due to the crowds around his car, but was then able to drive on. His vehicle was found to be slightly damaged when he returned home. “I don’t think there is a solution to what happened when I left the stadium,” Koeman said. “They are people with parenting problems, they don’t know what norms and values are.”
Así ha sido la salida de Koeman del Camp Nou #fcblive pic.twitter.com/4WMORd3Nto
— Albert Rogé (@albert_roge) October 24, 2021
“The atmosphere in the stadium was just the opposite, even when we were 0-2 behind, the crowd continued to support us,” Koeman continues. “You don’t have to pay much attention to these people. The images say it all. It seemed that it only happened to me, but there were also players who were in the car with their wives and children who were harassed when leaving the stadium. We have to find a way to make sure this doesn’t happen again. It’s a social problem that exists all over the world, unfortunately.”
Carles Puyol also expressed his distaste for the assault on Tuesday. The former Barça captain looked with horror at the images after the squatter against Real Madrid (1-2) and sympathizes with the Dutch trainer. Puyol found himself in a similar situation in his time as a footballer. “I was afraid at the time, we can’t call those kinds of people Barca fans,” said Puyol, who expressed his support for the Barcelona coach. “Koeman and the players are able to turn the situation around. All noses in the locker room have to be in the same direction and we have to work hard for it.”
Barcelona previously issued a statement condemning the behavior of the supporters. “Barcelona publicly distances itself from the violent and despicable actions against our coach when he left the Camp Nou,” the club wrote via social media. “The club will take measures to prevent things like this from happening in the future.”