El Clásico is fast approaching. Ahead of Saturday’s meeting between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona at theSantiago Bernabeu, here are some of the most interesting facts, stats and trivia that you might want to know1 - In the last nine league Clásicos, both sides have managed to score, making it the second longest such streak after the two teams did so on 13 occasions between 1946 and 19522 - In the last seven Madrid-Barça fixtures in the league, the Catalans have gotten the better of the side from the capital with four wins, one draw and two defeats. If all competitions are considered, Barça again are on top with six wins, three draws and three defeats.3 - Madrid and Barça have met in Week 12 of La Liga on seven occasions. The blaugranes have won the last three (2004, 2005 and 2009) and did not concede in any of those matches.4 - Andrés Iniesta has made the most Clásico appearances of any Barça player currently in the squad, with 31 matches against Madrid in all competitions. The Barça player with the most appearances in the fixture isXavi Hernandez who featured 42 times against Madrid with a record of 17 wins, 12 draws and 13 defeats.
FC Barcelona, one of the most successful teams of the past decade, is a symbol of Catalan culture. The team's motto “Més que un club” (More than a club) reflects Catalan nationalism and its supporters use it as an outlet for the independence movement.There are even chants of “independence” during every home game when the clock reaches 17 minutes and 14 seconds, a reference to the year 1714 when Spain defeated Catalan forces and took over the territory. Following the bill's approval, the province seeks to become an independent state as soon as possible.Independence not good for businessLast September, UEFA fined Barcelona with 40,000 euros after supporters waved the flags, known asEstelades, and chanted pro-independence slogans during a Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen. Barcelona had been fined back in July for a similar case during the Champions League final in Berlin.But the heavy fines have not stopped fans from displaying their intents. Just last week, 30,000 flags were distributed outside of the Camp Nou stadium before Barcelona's latest Champions League game against BATE Borisov. Supporters of the independence movement had a minor victory after UEFA decided to suspend its fines against the club until the Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reviewed the case and reached a decision.Bayern Munich's coach, Pep Guardiola is a fervent supporter of Catalan independence.The team has opted for staying neutral in political matters but some of its main figures have openly expressed support for the independence cause. Bayern Munich's coach and former Barcelona player and coach, Pep Guardiola has declared his full support to secede from Spain. In a video for Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes), a Catalan independence coalition, Guardiola informs in Catalan that “there's no turning back” and Catalan independence is "inevitable".According to the president of the Spanish League, Javier Tebas and the country's sports minister Miguel Cardenal, Barcelona would not be able to compete in La Liga if Catalonia gains independence. Cardenal added that Barça's level and presence in European football will certainly diminish in the case of Catalan secession.A few days before the Catalan parliamentary election back in September, Tebas tweeted: “If Spain splits, so too does La Liga. Let's hope we never reach such an absurdity.”
FC Barcelona star forward Neymar could leave the team after his contract expires in 2018 due to issues with Spanish and Brazilian tax authorities, according toThe Guardian.The club and Neymar have been discussing a contract extension, but Neymar’s father has said that his son may have to walk away from the team in 2018 if Spanish authorities continue to press the two over tax evasion claims.“We’ve begun contract renewal talks, but there are outstanding issues that concern us, and which need to be resolved,” Neymar Sr. said to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser. “Since we arrived to Spain we have been under attack (from the tax office) and it has extended to Brazil.“I don’t want to use the word persecution, but if the working environment here is not good, we won’t be able to remain in Spain and will have to leave the country.”In September, the Sao Paulo federal court alleged that Neymar evaded paying taxes on 63.3 million reals ($16.7 million) between 2011 and 2013. As a result, it froze 188.8 million reals ($49.8 million) in assets from his family and related businesses.A Spanish court has also investigated Neymar’s transfer to Barcelona from his original club in Brazil, alleging that the club spent at least $27.9 million more on the transfer than it declared, allowing it to pay less in taxes.Make Breakfast Stuffed Mushrooms.• Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini lose appeals of 90-day bans from FIFANeymar scored 43 goals across all competitions with the club last season.Barcelona currently sits atop the La Liga standings with 27 points.
Argentina earned their first win of the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign against Colombia with Javier Mascherano captaining the side.Tata Martino’s Albiceleste had yet to pick up three points in the CONMEBOL section after one defeat and two draws in their opening three games. Mascherano’s midfield partner Lucas Biglia scored the game’s only goal on 20 minutes after neat approach play from Ezequiel Lavezzi on the wing. Colombia piled on the pressure in the second half in search of a leveller but were unable to find the finishing touch to earn a point.Brazil win, Chile beaten by UruguayLater on in the evening, an inspired Diego Costa opened the scoring for Brazil after 20 minutes againstPeru in Salvador. Renato Augusto and Filipe Luis added further goals in the second half to complete a 3-0 win, with Barça’s Neymar Jr and Dani Alves on for all 90 minutes as their side made it to 45 home World Cup qualifiers without defeat. Neymar could also have got on the scoresheet, but his 66th minute goal was questionably ruled out for offside.But Tuesday night was not so happy for Claudio Bravo, who captained Chile to a 3-0 loss in Uruguay in what turned out to be as feisty a game as expected after a similarly heated meeting at the Copa America.Diego Godin opened the scoring in the first half in Montevideo, and Jorge Valdivia and former FCB manMartin Cáceres completed the job after the break. All three goals came from set pieces for a side are still awaiting the return of Luis Suárez from suspension.The result leaves Uruguay with a healthy nine points in the ten-team qualifying group, second behind onlyEcuador who maintained their 100 per cent record with a 3-1 win in Venezuela. Brazil’s win means they now join Chile on seven points while Argentina move up to sixth place.Goalless draw for Arda's TurkeyArda Turan was in action for Turkey against neighbours Greece in what was a hard-fought goalless draw with minimal clear chances for either side. The midfielder had one of the game’s better chances just shy of the hour mark when the ball rolled kindly to him at the edge of the box. On his less-favored left foot, however, he was unable to get the desired purchase on the ball and his effort was smothered by the goalkeeper.Spain under-21s played out an enthralling match with Croatia in Rijeka. La Rojita looked to be coasting to a comfortable win after going three goals ahead, with two coming from former Barça man Gerard Deulofeu. Goals from Mario Pasalic and Josip Radosevic set up a tense finish for Spain but they eventually held on for a 3-2 win. Alen Halilović, currently on loan from Barça at Sporting de Gijón, played the full 90 minutes whileMunir El Haddadi was an unused substitute.
The United States ambassador to Spain and Andorra, James Costos, joined by the consul general of the United States in Barcelona, Marcos Mandojana, paid a visit to the Camp Nou on Tuesday. The two diplomats were welcomed by the Club president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, along with the first vice-president Jordi Cardoner; international and institutional vice-president Carles Vilarrubí; and the marketing and communication vice-president Manel Arroyo.The visit is in association with the imminent opening of a new permanent FC Barcelona office in the city of New York, on which the ambassador congratulated the Barça president in the presence of the director of the American office in that city, Arno Trabesinger. As well as visiting the facilities, Costos was also able to get a much better idea of matters related to the past and present of the Club, as well the different connections between FC Barcelona and the United States.At an official reception in the Presidential Lounge in the stadium, Josep Maria Bartomeu presented the ambassador with a framed replica of the cover of the Club dossier produced on occasion of the famous tour of the United States in 1937. The guests were then shown around the ground, starting with the first team dressing room and followed by the players’ tunnel and a walk on the famous pitch, where several photographs were taken to commemorate the event. They then spent some time in the FC Barcelona Museum, where Jordi Cardoner was at hand to explain the meaning behind some of the most important exhibits.Big in AmericaThe visit ties in with the opening of the new FC Barcelona office in the United States, scheduled for early 2016. This will make Barça the first Spanish Liga team to have a permanent office in the country, located in the Manhattan district of New York, right beside Central Park.The office forms part on the on-going process of internationalising the Club, the aim being to raise FC Barcelona’s profile in key countries and territories, not just commercially, but socially and institutionally too, by building relationships with sporting, non-sporting and governmental bodies. And the United States is one of those priority markets, although the New York office will also be used as the base for promoting Barça throughout North, Central and South America.FC Barcelona already has a huge presence in the Americas through its supporters clubs (penyas), itsFCBEscola academies and through collaborations with its Foundation. Six of those supporters clubs are based in the United States: The Official NYC FC Barcelona Penya; FC Barcelona Supporters Club Miami; Penya Barcelonista Chicago; Penya Barcelonista Washington DC; Penya Barcelonista San Francisco and the Los Angeles FC Barcelona Soccer Foundation. There is also an FCB Escola centre in Florida, and in the summer of 2015, a total of 23 FCB Campus were held. Elsewhere in the Americas, FC Barcelona has 24 supporters clubs, 4 FCBEscola centres and 11 FCB Campus.The Foundation also has very close ties with the Americas. It has a strategic alliance with UNICEF, which has its headquarters in New York, and also with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, based in Seattle, and has collaborated with charity projects in Miami, through the Fundación Pies Descalzos. Elsewhere in the continent, the Foundation has worked with the Inter-American Development Bank, and has set up projects in Mexico with the Fundación Rafa Márquez, in Brazil with Neymar and Edmílson’s foundations, and in Argentina through that of Leo Messi.Statement by Josep Maria Bartomeu, President of FC Barcelona"The opening of an FC Barcelona office in New York is a strategic decision in response to the increased support for and popularity of football in the United States. This office will extend the internationalisation and positioning of the Club in the American continent. The idea is for this delegation to spread the Barça name in this territory, as has been happening with regard to Asia through the office in Hong Kong, which is already operational".Statement by James Costos, US ambassador to Spain and Andorra:"The fact that FC Barcelona has opened an office in New York is very good news as this will make the ties with the United States even stronger. I am sure that the city of New York will welcome you with open arms. Barça is very well known in the United States both because of its history of sporting success and because of its widespread work for charity, such as the recent campaign in favour of the refugees, something with is very deep-rooted in North American culture”.