Bartomeu: "Playing behind closed doors costs us 6 million but the first thing is health"

Next Wednesday day 18 March -that is to say, in hardly a week- will take place the party of turn of the eighth of final of the Champions League between the FC Barcelona and the Naples, after in the meeting of gone, Catalans and napolitanos empatasen to a goal (1-1) and left the eliminatory entirely opened of face to the second duel.

Nevertheless, the coronavirus will condition totally the party in which there will be at stake a ticket to the quarter-finals. Especially because this Tuesday the FC Barcelona, observing the will of the Government of Catalonia, has announced that it will contest to enclosed door, without public in the terracings given the risk of contagion and the speed of propagation of the illness in the last days.

Josep Maria Bartomeu, president of the FC Barcelona, has participated in a colloquium of the Forum Main Barcelona organised by the Circle Ecuestre in which it has spoken about the situation. "First I want to say that the first is the part of the health and collaborate with the sanitary authorities, afterwards there is a component that there is an economic loss no only for the Barça but for any club that have to play to enclosed door", commented.

Besides, the maximum mandator culé gave approximate figures about the losses that will have the FC Barcelona as a result of the decision to play the party without fans given the risk of contagion. "In the case of the Barça can be around the 6 million euros, but go back to say it, this is not the important", explained, about the economic impact of these circumstances of excepcionalidad.

Bartomeu explained the process of the meeting and regretted that the fans do not go to be able to enjoy of the meeting in direct. "This morning we have had a meeting with the Generalitat and there has been a very firm recommendation to play the split enclosed door. We regret a lot that this will affect to the partners and fans, and to the world of the football. But we think that it is an exceptional situation that are living", sentenced.

It is necessary to remember that, in the meeting, the FC Barcelona was represented by the CEO of the entity, Òscar Grau, Albert Soler, director of Professional Sections -there are planned parties in the next days in the Palau- and Ramon Channel, boss of the Medical Services of the club.

The Generalitat already had left clear his posture

From the Govern, the posture was clear from the beginning: play without public. Like this it moved it the Monday Gerard Figueras, Secretari General of L'Esport of the Government of Catalonia. By his part, the FC Barcelona prefers that the party contest in presence of the fans but, understands the situation and will observe the sanitary criterion practically as if it was a subject passive.