Luis Núñez-Villavearán Madrid
Madrid
Updated Sunday, March 17, 2024-20:49
The return of
Joao Félix
with the Barcelona shirt marked the preview of the League match at the Metropolitano.
The forward, starting for
Xavi Hernández
for the second consecutive day, was received with hostility by his former fans.
Not only because of the whistles received when his name was announced over the public address system, but because of the incidents outside the stadium.
Joao's plaque on the Atlético legends walk was vandalized by some fans, who deposited all kinds of rubbish on top and even burned one of the Portuguese's shirts.
"They are spicy games that give me extra motivation," Joao said this week.
In the hours before the clash,
"The fans have to respect the players and they must be received as they deserve, with applause," said
Enrique Cerezo
, president of Atlético, in statements to DAZN.
These incidents were reminiscent of what happened years ago with
Thibaut Courtois
during a visit from Real Madrid.
In May 2022, the Belgian goalkeeper's plaque was torn off hours after Cerezo sent a controversial message to his fans: "If you want to remove it, go with a pick and a shovel and remove it."