'No one wants this s---': Backlash to Barca coming Down Under as A-League clubs hijack their OWN Grand Final

6th April, 2022

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The Roar

6th April, 2022

1859 Reads

Spanish football giants Barcelona will play an A-League All Stars team in Sydney next month – with the timing raising questions among local fans.

The match – locked in for Wednesday May 25, is in A-League grand final week and can’t help but draw gloss away from the finale of a competition has faced serious issues over crowds and TV ratings already this season.

Players from the Grand Final teams won’t feature in a game that is being promoted heavily online by the A-League clubs, detracting from the quality of opposition as well as the showpiece match.

A full house is nevertheless anticipated at the 83,500-seat stadium and the Spanish club has reportedly assured organisers they will bring a full team.

Barca, who are one of three teams 12 points behind runaway La Liga leaders Real Madrid this season, boast stars including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Pedri, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Jordi Alba.

While this style of football friendly has proven financially popular in Australia – with visits from leading clubs such as Arsenal, Real Madrid, Liverpool and others in recent years and Celtic set for this northern off-season – the timing has been queried by local supporters. While it’s common for rival codes to try to disrupt big events in another, it’s unusual for a code to do that to its own marquee event.

It honestly just feels like the APL have absolutely no understanding of its last remaining fans. No one wants this shit, much less during the week of the grand final. https://t.co/6Do7KtUY5t
— Dave Srhoj (@eldantehicks) April 6, 2022

The dumbest thing about the timing of the All Stars game is that the best players — the actual stars of the A-League Men — won’t be available. As a concept I don’t hate it, keen to see how they’d fare v Barcelona, but I’d also rather see the Socceroos v the All Whites.
— Phillip Rollo (@ByPhillipRollo) April 6, 2022

So stupid to have the "A-League All Stars" match v Barcelona, during Grand Final week. An absolute farce. ????????????
— Meg.n Borg (@102megan) April 6, 2022

Don’t know what possesses people to allow this. The game will detract from the GF which should always be given clean air. Now we will have days of hype about Barcelona
— Ray Gatt (@Gatty54) April 6, 2022

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