Coronavirus restrictions in Catalonia only allow six persons per group to meet indoors and outdoors. La Liga has reportedly opened an investigation to decide whether the Barca players breached any regulations.
Lionel Messi had invited his teammates and their families in a barbecue meet on Monday. According to Sport1, the reason was to boost the team’s morale before the last few crucial fixtures of the season and to celebrate Barca’s Copa del Rey triumph. They could face problems, should the Catalan government prove that Messi and his friends broke the current Covid-19 restriction.
Interestingly, some Sevilla players were in the spotlight for enjoying a party during the pandemic last year, with La Liga president Javier Tebas declaring that “measures would be taken” against them.
But the accused Ever Banega, Franco Vazquez, Luuk de Jong and Lucas Ocampos, issued public apologies immediately and avoided further punishments.
Even some Atletico Madrid players had also reportedly gathered together a few weeks ago for similar reasons, although the officials claim that the scenario was different. As per sources close to La Liga,
Los Colchoneros informed the league beforehand to seek prior permission for their gathering while ensuring that all protocols were followed, while in this case, the league found out about the gathering from the press, which could pose problems for Messi and his teammates.
“We know and have seen the images. The Public Health Agency that has the powers has seen them and will carry out a technical assessment in the coming days and will inform us on how to proceed.”
saidMeritxell Budo, counsellor to the Generalitat de Catalunya presidency.
“We call on everyone to respect the (social distancing) measures and urge those in the public gaze to be extra attentive as they can lead by way of example.”
he added.
The Spanish health minister reports that the country’s national infection rate was 229 per 100,000 persons each day, but there has been a massive disparity between the caseloads between the 17 different autonomous regions, with some provinces seeing rates below 70 per 100,000 while some have experienced 500 per 100,000.
In Catalonia, the number of cases have decreased over the last few months. The regulations issued by the league and the Generalitat are in effect till 8th of May, which means the gathering could be considered as a serious offense.
According to Mundo Deportivo, some of the guests have claimed that the team did not break any protocols. All the players in question spent the afternoon in Messi’s garden with separate tables while maintaining proper social distancing norms.
ESPN reports that a Barca spokesman who chose to remain anonymous said the club “has not received any notification of an investigation from La Liga or local authorities and that it was an issue for the players to deal with.” Barcelona is yet to issue an official statement on the investigation.
Leo Messi’s brace in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Valencia at Mestalla gave Barca a much-needed push in the title race, with the Blaugranas sitting two points adrift of Atletico Madrid in the third spot with four games to play.
The players were given a two-day break and resume training on Wednesday morning to prepare for the weekend’s mega clash against Atletico. Ronald Koeman’s side can jump to the top spot with a win at the Camp Nou, but a draw or defeat would certainly shatter their hopes of winning the La Liga crown.
