FC Barcelona’s Embarrassing And ‘Very Serious Mistake’

FC Barcelona have committed what has been described as a “very serious” mistake, in an embarrassing development highlighted by SPORT collaborator Josep Capdevila which highlights the extent of the club’s financial ruin.

As explained by Capdevila in a widely-viewed Twitter threat, Barca will have to end a tradition of more than 25 years to save a few thousands euros.

This is because their fleet of about 30 taxis, which traditionally take youth players from elsewhere in Catalonia who don’t live in the club’s facilities to and from training, will have to be scrapped.

Rumors had circled that the change would have to be made for some time and it has finally become a reality.

Instead, parents who might have commitments such as work, or their own transport issues, will now have to scramble to get their children – who harbor aspirations of graduating from the famed youth academy and progressing to the youth team one day – to checkpoints where a coach will pick them and their colleagues up.

SPORT criticized the news and remarked that “seems incredible” Barca would make this mistake and end “a tradition of more than 25 years for a few thousand euros that is spent on much more superfluous things”.

“This measure will have repercussions and all [of them] negative, because the taxi service was much more than that, it was part of the Masia 360 project,” it continued.

“Luckily the board of [President Joan] Laporta promised in the electoral campaign to strengthen La Masia.”

Meanwhile across the city, supposedly inferior rival Espanyol continues to offer a taxi service for its academy players commonly picked up from areas such as the Maresme region in the eastern suburbs where Barca pearl Lamine Yamal grew up in the dormitory town of Mataro.

What will be tragic is if Barca scout a player in the Catalan Football Federation’s grassroots leagues who can’t entertain the prospect of joining La Masia because of difficulties getting to the checkpoint.

This might push him or her to join someone such as Espanyol or Girona instead if they are interested, or for that youngster to completely slip through the net and lament what could have been.