The Grada d'Animació has broken the silence through a statement issued on social media after, for the second consecutive time, they could not occupy the agreed space with the club at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. It is important to remember that a quite controversial situation has recently arisen regarding this area of Barça fans.
The Barcelona demands that this sector of culés supporters, composed of the groups Almogàvers, Nostra Ensenya, Front 532, and Supporters Barça, cancel the €21,000 fines imposed on the club last season due to several disciplinary proceedings opened in order to occupy this space.
Now, the Grada d'Animació, which protested outside the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys during the match between FC Barcelona and UD Las Palmas (1-2), has decided to release a statement to challenge the club's decision regarding this matter. In this announcement, they emphasize the fact that this sector of Barcelona fans stresses that "this is not about economic sanctions that we do not want to pay, there is much more at stake".
The main claim of the Grada d'Animació towards FC Barcelona
Likewise, the group of Barcelona fans has harshly criticized the current management of the club and the treatment of members, feeling that they are being neglected in favor of other aspects that do not respect the institution's history. "Little by little, the member is losing the weight they have historically had, which corresponds to them. The lack of communication and total disinterest in the EDA, proposals rejected without any argumentation, seeing how the usual resales are still allowed, changing the atmosphere stands of football by filling the stadium with tourists...", the statement pointed out.
"Waves with a draw, 'kiss cams', a joke of a speaker, indecent prices, promoting the absence of rivalries, changing the club's historical colors for pure marketing, making major decisions without transparency and without consulting the member, persecution of any type of animation and opposing speech, prioritizing the show without regard for sentimental and family ties... countless reasons that reveal the intentions of this board, prioritizing a business model where the closest and most loyal social mass to the club is greatly harmed".
"It is one more step in the social death of the club"
On the other hand, they emphasize that the club is "selling the club economically and socially" and explain the negative impact of closing the area assigned for the animation stand on their regular activities. "The closure of our area, the voice of the stadium, is one more step in the social death of the club. We react or they will end up destroying the most important thing we have", they warned.
Finally, the Grada d'Animació highlights the importance of rescuing the values of the institution, especially regarding the treatment of members, a matter they feel is not valued enough. "You do not play with the dignity of the institution. Nor with the history of the club. Nor with the value of the badge and the feelings of the members and fans, even less so. We will fight for our rights as members, like any other. It is in our hands", the statement concluded.
Now we will have to see where this situation leads, as apparently, at this point, Barcelona will not sit down to talk with this sector of the stand until the €21,000 are paid, even though representatives of different groups have requested a meeting. Both parties maintain positions that are perhaps quite uncompromising, and these tensions could escalate after the release of this statement.