Who should be one of the summer protagonists of Barcelona's preseason,
José Mourinho
, his old nemesis, will not finally show up at the Camp Nou.
Roma, current champion of the Conference League and who should be the rival of the azulgrana in the Joan Gamper trophy that will be played on August 6 at the Camp Nou (as it was announced on June 15), announced this Monday that refuses to play the tournament.
The Barça club had even started selling tickets for the double leg, given that the women's teams were also going to face each other.
Roma, which will not start Serie A until August 14 with a match against Salernitana, alleged calendar problems to reject the Barça club.
"The decision derives from the need to change the planning of the summer friendlies, in order to create the best possible working conditions for the next season for the club's men's and women's first team. Both teams will continue their path of preparation through other commitments, with less impact in terms of travel, which will be communicated as soon as they are defined", defended the Roman entity.
These explanations have not been accepted by Barcelona, which has even threatened to sue the Italians.
"Roma has decided to unilaterally and without cause terminate the signed contract (...). The club's legal area is studying the appropriate actions to claim the damages that this unexpected and unjustified decision may cause Barcelona and its fans," expressed the azulgrana club through a statement.
Barcelona, which will begin the ticket refund process in the next 24 hours, will have to make an effort to find a rival now that the big clubs have practically closed their preseason schedules.
Conforms to The Trust Project criteria
Know more