Barça to shut singing part because of unpaid fines

Barcelona will shut a bit behind the aim on the Olympic Stadium “indefinitely,” beginning in opposition to Brest on Tuesday, because of a dispute with supporters’ teams over unpaid fines, the membership have introduced.

Barça say an settlement with the teams that make up the Espai d’Animació (EDA) — the singing part within the North Aim stand — to pay any fines ensuing from their behaviour has not been fulfilled.

Sources informed ESPN the whole quantity excellent is round €21,000 ($22,092).

“Given the agreements signed between the membership and the supporters’ teams, the membership, after repeated warnings, initiated the method to get well the cash owed for sanctions imposed for [the fans’] behaviour final season,” Barça mentioned in a press release.

“This behaviour resulted in 14 disciplinary proceedings for violations of the present laws on this part of the stadium. Throughout this course of, the supporters’ teams have been granted three separate deadlines to fulfil their obligations. The final one expired on Monday at midnight.

“Because the totally different teams have now been knowledgeable, having did not adjust to their obligations, the membership will shut the EDA indefinitely. The membership reiterates its willingness to have interaction with the teams in query to debate the EDA’s state of affairs as soon as they’ve met their obligations.”

The ban will start on Tuesday, when Barça host Brest within the Champions League on the Olympic Stadium. The Catalan aspect are at residence once more on Saturday once they play Las Palmas in LaLiga.

“We wished to satisfy with the membership to debate the state of affairs and the membership was prepared to, however provided that we paid the €21,000 they’re demanding, one thing we couldn’t do as a result of it might imply assuming accountability as a bunch,” Albert Yarza, president of the Penya Almogàvers, informed reporters — the Penya Almogàvers are one of many teams that make up the EDA.

“The membership in the present day informed us that we can not go to the stadium and we’ve got requested for a gathering to resolve the difficulty, however with out the conditional cost of that cash.

“We’ll collaborate. The members of the EDA cross three filters: Ours, the membership’s and the [police’s]. We ask our members to not observe any chants which will come from outdoors [of the EDA]. We do not have to be the police on this situation, the membership has the instruments to find and sanction individuals who behave in a reprehensible and punishable manner.

“You can’t criminalise a complete collective for particular person actions. There are 572 of us within the EDA and there are 14 fines.”

The EDA occupy a bit behind one of many objectives on the stadium — the place Barça are taking part in quickly whereas Camp Nou is regenerated — which is made up of round 600 seats.

Barça say the EDA’s “mission is to create an environment of help for the group that encourages the remainder of the general public to affix in from the primary minute of each recreation.”