Corriere dello Sport thinks they know the real reason why AS Roma have withdrawn from the match against Barcelona in the battle for the Trofeu Joan Gamper. The Romans gave the reason for the cancellation that the club wants to have the best possible preparation for the selection, but according to the Italian newspaper, Roma has not come up with a fair statement.
Corriere dello Sport claims Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of Paris Saint-Germain and the European Club Association (ECA), played a role in Roma’s cancellation. According to the newspaper, he has asked Dan Friedkin, the owner of Roma, to cancel the friendly. As chairman of ECA, Al-Khelaïfi has repeatedly spoken out strongly against the Super League in the past. Barcelona, like Juventus and Real Madrid, is still behind the plans to form a Super League.
Barca furiously announced on Monday that Roma have decided to withdraw from the Joan Gamper Trofeu match. “The club is working on finding a new opponent for this match and Barca will give the spectators their money back for the ticket. Barcelona want to make it clear that the reason for these circumstances is completely outside the club and AS Roma’s fault. The board is considering taking legal action against the Italian club,” Barcelona wrote on its own club site.
The Trofeu Joan Gamper is the match that has been the traditional opening of the season for Barcelona since 1966. The club will play a match that day at the Camp Nou and the new players will be introduced to the fans. The award is named after Joan Gamper, the man who founded Barcelona in 1899. PSV was the last Dutch opponent of the Catalans in this traditional match in 2000.
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