One of the world’s most-watched soccer matches was played amid heavy security Wednesday night as the Spanish authorities sought to keep Catalonia’s separatist movement from disrupting the game between host Barcelona and Real Madrid.
While the game in Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium began without incident, some riot police clashed with protesters in the streets outside, and plastic trash cans were set on fire.
The match, which drew nearly 100,000 spectators and ended in a 0-0 tie, was halted briefly when a few dozen balls were thrown onto the field, some of them bearing a message urging the Spanish government to open a dialogue with the separatists.
Thousands of police and private security guards were deployed in and around stadium. During the street clashes, riot police used batons to force back the crowd. Some protesters also fought between themselves, while others threw objects at police officers lined up behind shields. At least four trash cans were set on fire, and a smell of smoke wafted into the Camp Nou ahead of the game.
The game between Spanish league leader Barcelona and its fierce rival Real Madrid was broadcast to more than 650 million people worldwide, according to the home team. The separatists sought to take advantage of the global media coverage to promote their bid for independence from Spain. The game, known as El Clásico, was postponed from Oct. 26 amid earlier violent protests by the separatists.
As crowds entered Europe’s largest soccer stadium Wednesday night, security guards confiscated masks of Barcelona’s Argentine star Lionel Messi from supporters, apparently to ensure they could be identified on closed-circuit cameras if they broke the law.
As the game began, some fans held up blue signs saying ‘Spain, Sit and Talk” and “FREEDOM.” Others chanted, in Catalan, “Freedom for the Political Prisoners.” Those messages referred to the Spanish government’s refusal to discuss the wealthy northeastern region’s independence, as well as the recent imprisonment of nine of the movement’s leaders convicted for their roles in a failed 2017 secession bid.
LIVERPOOL REACHES FINAL Roberto Firmino’s 90th-minute goal sent Liverpool into the Club World Cup final with a 2-1 victory over Mexico’s Monterrey in Doha, Qatar.
Firmino, a Brazilian forward, flicked in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross at the near post to break a tie and set up a meeting with the South American champion Flamengo of Brazil on Saturday at the Khalifa Stadium.
Naby Keita had put Liverpool ahead in the 11th minute but his opening goal was canceled out within three minutes by Monterrey’s Rogelio Funes Mori.
The stadium was largely full for the event, with an announced attendance of 45,416 for the second semifinal, which will be a relief for FIFA and Qatari organizers three years before the World Cup arrives in Qatar. Two months ago, during the world track and field championships in the same Khalifa stadium, large sections of seats were covered with fabric to disguise poor attendances. Even for the showpiece track sprints that week, crowds sometimes numbered in the hundreds.
The lineup for the final will roll the clock back almost three decades.
Liverpool and Flamengo met in a 1981 version of this tournament in Japan, with the Brazilians winning by 3-0.
Source: Soccer - nytimes.com
