Whether it was an attempt to curry favour with voters or not, Barcelona presidential candidate, Joan Laporta’s suggestion that the Spanish national team shouldn’t play their fixtures at Camp Nou was certainly a controversial one.
Laporta was announcing his intention to stand again for the role he held between 2003 and 2010, and was beaten to in the last election when standing against eventual winner, Josep Maria Bartomeu.
“Luis Rubiales, president of the RFEF, is an intelligent person who knows that the best thing for the national team is to play where they have more support, such as Seville, Valencia , Madrid…and perhaps here is not the most appropriate place,” he said in quotes published by MARCA and cited by Football Espana.
“For the Spanish team not to play at the Camp Nou is the best decision because the situation does not meet the most positive conditions for them to do so.”
Football Espana note Laporta’s pro-independence leanings regarding the state of Catalonia, but his comments could be seen as inflammatory and ignite another row with the Spanish federation at a time when relations need to be more conciliatory.
Not to mention that Barca have players such as Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Ansu Fati in the Spanish national side, and the option of playing at their home ground whilst on international duty is surely one they’d relish.