Barcelona Supporter Group Accuses Board Of Directors Of "Selling Yourself" In Denda Dispute

The stands for the EDA group were closed by Barcelona (doc. Barcelona).

JAKARTA - A group of Barcelona supporters accused the Board of Directors of selling clubs "economically and socially" after they were expelled from the Lluis Company's Olympic Stadium for the last two home games.

Barcelona announced last week the closure of the area behind one of the goal indefinitely due to disputes with supporters over unpaid fines of a total of 21,000 euros.

As a result, the group that formed Espai d'Animacio (EDA) - a supporter group in the north tribune - was unable to attend the Champions League match against Brest or La Liga against Las Palmas, which marked the club's 125th anniversary.

"After decades of supporting the club through the best moments, and most importantly, the worst moments, homes and aways, they have prevented us from celebrating and enjoying our 125th anniversary," said a statement signed by four support groups forming the EDA.

"It's not about the fines we don't want to pay, there's much more to hide. Little by little, the members (social) lose the weight they've had so far."

"The club removes the atmosphere, fills stadiums with tourists, Mexican hands wave at 0-0, 'kiss camera', broadcaster jokes, indecent prices, ignites competition, changes color for marketing purposes, and makes major decisions without transparency or any consultation."

"There are many reasons for expressing the intention of the Barcelona Board of Directors, prioritizing a business model in which people closest to and most loyal to the club are disadvantaged. They sell clubs economically and socially."

"Our closing part, the sound of the stadium, is the next step in the club's social death. We have to react or they will destroy the most important thing this club has."

"You don't play with the dignity of the club or with the history of the club. Especially, not with the value of the emblem and feelings of the members and supporters," continued the EDA statement.

The Blaugrana said EDA had not paid the fine, based on an agreement between the two sides, which the club had received for 14 offenses totaling 21,000 euros.

The fine is related to violations of regulations regarding singing and behavior in the stadium.

The EDA argues the fine is related to individual actions that the club has the tools to identify who is responsible and they should not be collectively punished.

EDA occupies the back of one of the goals at the Lluis Company's Olympic Stadium - where Barcelona played temporarily when Camp Nou was restored - consisting of about 600 seats.

Barcelona says EDA's mission is to create an atmosphere of support for teams that encourage other people to join from the first minute of every game.

The section remains vacant for the Brest match. However, when the 1-2 defeat to Las Palmas on Saturday, November 30, 2024, the Catalan club chose to resell the seat because the dispute with the support group continued.