Barca and Fabregas - A Stunt Too Far?

By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London

As the Spain team partied in front of 200,000 ecstatic fans in Madrid, it was impossible not to feel happy for the lucky guys. In fact, a giant smile spread across my face as I watched videos on the news of the team travelling through endless red swathes of party people. As an England fan, I can only imagine what that sense of widespread, shared elation must feel like. However, the heady mix of joy and celebration was sullied ever so slightly by a tincture of stupidity.

As Pepe Reina addressed the adoring fans from the Spanish team’s parapet in Madrid, a smirking Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique forced a Barcelona shirt over the head of Cesc Fabregas like a couple of schoolboy pranksters giving one of their peers an enormous wedgy. Meanwhile Reina shouted “The future of Barcelona”. In the heat of the moment, the Spanish squad probably saw it as a funny joke, but the media have immediately leapt on it as further fuel to feed the ever-growing flames of speculation linking the young Spaniard with a move away from North London to the sunnier climes of Catalonia. More importantly though, I see it as an example of deep disrespect to other clubs that has become seemingly ingrained in the fabric of World superpowers such as Barcelona.

Whilst the rest of the Spanish squad stood behind the perpetrators laughing awkwardly, Arsene Wenger and every Arsenal fan under the sun must have been seething with anger. Accusations of big clubs ‘tapping up’ prospective signings are rife at this time of year. Acts such as this do nothing but worsen the situation and football fans throughout the world nursing a more cynical disposition will look at this prank as a deliberate attempt by Barcelona to try and lure Fabregas into their clutches.

If this was a deliberate prank by Barca, which I find hard to believe, it shows a tremendous amount of disrespect to Arsenal, Arsene Wenger and the football community as a whole. To think that they could convince a player through such childish means is as pompous as it is ludicrous.

Obviously the large majority of transfer rumours are started, and more importantly, perpetuated by the press. However, if Barcelona really are interested in buying Fabregas (which I think every football fan believes that they are), then they need to sit round a table at Arsenal with the player, his agent and Wenger, and thrash out a deal like men. If they aren’t interested, then a high-ranking club spokesman needs to tell the press that they categorically have had no contact with the player and are not looking to in the foreseeable future. Rumours such as these only serve to damage the integrity of the game at the highest level. They also unsettle the player and lead to wide unrest amongst fans of the player’s club.

However, if Barcelona as a club had no prior knowledge of this latest incident, and it was purely down to the individuals involved – this still does not absolve Barcelona of responsibility. Both Puyol and Pique are prominent Barcelona players, and they are representing their club at all times in which they are being employed by them. Their actions have reflected incredibly badly upon their team, and Barcelona need to be seen by the press and football community to punish such irresponsible and stupid behaviour by two of their star players, whether the club had anything to do with it or not.

As far as I can see, Fabregas as an individual shouldn’t be blamed at all for the incident. He didn’t appear to know anything about it and to his credit immediately removed the shirt whilst sporting a sheepish and embarrassed grimace. He also covered his tracks somewhat by stating “This is for the Arsenal players, the Arsenal fans, the manager Arsene Wenger and all the staff…I am an Arsenal player and I am really proud to be able to give this trophy to all of the fans”.

We are still no closer to knowing whether he will be leaving England though, and the following statement seems to suggest he’ll be leaving Wenger, or that perhaps he has already gone. Could this have been a Freudian slip? I’ll let you decide…

“I am really proud to have been an Arsenal player. It is all for them. They deserve it and they have a World Champion at the club.”