FC Barcelona Worried By Low Attendances And ‘Dangerous Disconnection’
FC Barcelona top brass, led by president Joan Laporta, is “beginning to worry” about low attendances at the Montjuic Stadium and the “dangerous disconnection” fans have with the first team when it plays in the ground according to AS.
Barca put on one of their best home displays of the season this weekend when thrashing Getafe 4-0.
The win made head coach Xavi Hernandez believe that the La Liga title can still be won despite the comfortable points advantage bitter rivals Real Madrid hold over his men, and it was also the first time that Culers had been treated to a rout by four goals or more since their heroes trounced Royal Antwerp 5-0 in the Champions League on September 19.
Not that there were that many of them in attendance compared to other matches at Barca’s temporary home.
As explained by AS, just 36,803 supporters watched the Spanish top flight holders in action, which was the third-lowest attendance of the season not that far off the 34,471 who turned out when Barca took on Almeria and 34,568 that saw them beat Atletico Madrid on a cold winter night where tickets were too expensive for many at a non-family friendly kick off time of 21.00.
That wasn’t the case on Saturday, with the club running 40% off promotions and the Getafe game taking place at 16.15.
Yet some might have seen the weather forecast and decided on spending their afternoon elsewhere in one of Europe’s cultural capitals, and there were spells of the game were those in situ left their seats to take cover through intervals of heavy rain.
As we enter the business end of the season, the faith that Barca fans have in Xavi’s side will be tested.
Barca is attempting to make up ground on Madrid in the title race and also has a do-or-die meeting with Napoli in the Champions League last 16 on the horizon.
A poor turn out for the second leg could end up being influential, as it was when eventual Europa League winners Frankfurt’s travelling hordes outnumbered home side fans in Camp Nou and dumped the Catalans out of the second-string continental competition at the quarter-final phase in 2022.
