Barcelona were distraught to have missed out on reaching the Copa del Rey final, after they lost 4-3 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid in the semi-final tie, which concluded on Tuesday.
Joan Laporta, who is in contention to receive is fourth mandate as president, was one of those to take in events at the Spotify Camp Nou, and as per MD, he spoke to the media the following day to express his pride at how Barcelona played in the second leg.
“I am very grateful to the players, they gave an exhibition and gave everything. We are proud of the team and the coach, and of Deco. The fans are happy and it showed. If it hadn’t been for Cubarsí’s goal disallowed in the first leg, we could have qualified.
“There is nothing to say about the result, Atlético went through, but it was very nice that we stayed ten minutes applauding the team. The pride of the match weighs much more than the disgust, how the fans experienced this semi-final and how the stadium was.”
Laporta: Barcelona affected by reduced attendance
Laporta did bemoan the fact that Barcelona City Council stopped the club from having an extra 17,000 fans in attendance on Tuesday, which he believes would have made a significant difference.
“It has penalised us not to have the North Stand open. If with two thirds full to bursting and the fans cheering from before the game, the atmosphere was fantastic. If we had had the Gol Nord full, we would have possibly scored more goals.
“They say that he will be before election day, we are going to see if it is so. Let’s hope that this time it will be a reality, because the time has come when it is difficult to understand why the Gol Nord and the Grada d’Animació, the Grada 1957, are not allowed to have fans in.”
Laporta believes “small adjustments” needed to squad
Laporta also spoke on Barcelona’s plans to return to the 1:1 rule. He expects it to happen sooner rather than later, although it does not mean that sweeping changes will be made to the squad during the summer.
“We have presented the intermediate states to UEFA and we have less and less tension to make the additions we need. We have a good squad and some adjustments have to be made. Deco is working in the offices and Hansi on the bench. If my candidacy is elected, the necessary adjustments will be made and work is being done in some positions, but we have a squad that we are proud of.”
