Barcelona president Bartomeu rejects Napoli fears over Champions League clash at Camp Nou as 'alarmist'

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu
AFP via Getty Images
Ben Hayward6 August 2020

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has dismissed Napoli fears over Saturday's Champions League clash at Camp Nou.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis had called for the teams' last-16 game to be played in Portugal following a fresh outbreak of Covid-19 cases in Barcelona.

But Bartomeu told BeIN Sports: "I do not agree with the words of the Napoli president at all.

"He has his reasons but I think it is logically our responsibility to get things back to normal and the normal way for teams to play is in their stadiums."

And he added: "Alarmist messages like his are bad for everyone. The right message is that of Uefa: to try to for the maximum normality and to follow the protocol.

"I very much agree with UEFA and also with the final phase in Lisbon."

If Barca overcome Napoli following the teams' 1-1 draw in Italy, the Catalans will advance to that final phase, which will be played over a two-week period in one-off matches starting next week.

"I like the traditional format over two matches, but the pandemic has changed the plans and we have found the best possible format for all the teams," Bartomeu said.

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