Guardiola lets fly after travel woes
Source: Agencies |
December 6, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
BARCELONA coach Pep Guardiola was furious with the Spanish football federation for the confusion that led to his team making a late dash by train and bus to play a La Liga match at Osasuna on Saturday.
The Spanish champion made the 350km journey after a strike by Spanish air traffic controllers dashed its plans to fly direct to Pamplona on the morning of the game.
Barcelona put out a statement in the afternoon to say it had an agreement to postpone the match to Sunday, but this was soon contradicted by the RFEF and Osasuna, which insisted the match went ahead as scheduled.
Barcelona arrived at the Reyno de Navarra just before the start time, and after a 50-minute delay it went on to win 3-0 with two goals from Lionel Messi to stay top of the standings. Pedro netted the other one.
"The federation told us that if the plane didn't leave the game would be postponed," Guardiola said. "We were just some more amidst 400,000 stranded travellers. We had considered catching a train but AENA (Spain's airport authority) told us we might be able to fly at 11.00 today.
"We never travel the same day by coach. To play against Osasuna who had not lost at home in 12 matches we wanted to be at our best.
"We don't mind travelling, last year we went 14 hours by coach to play in the Champions League (against Inter Milan due to a volcanic ash cloud), because UEFA said they wouldn't postpone.... "We have travelled (Saturday) because we preferred to come than to lose three points."
Valencia travelled by coach to Madrid on Friday afternoon to play Real Madrid in a match it lost 0-2. Cristiano Ronaldo found the net in the 73 minute and then streaked away to notch his 16th goal of the season with three minutes remaining.
Atletico Madrid went in the opposite direction, also by coach, and lost 0-2 at Valencia-based Levante.
The Spanish champion made the 350km journey after a strike by Spanish air traffic controllers dashed its plans to fly direct to Pamplona on the morning of the game.
Barcelona put out a statement in the afternoon to say it had an agreement to postpone the match to Sunday, but this was soon contradicted by the RFEF and Osasuna, which insisted the match went ahead as scheduled.
Barcelona arrived at the Reyno de Navarra just before the start time, and after a 50-minute delay it went on to win 3-0 with two goals from Lionel Messi to stay top of the standings. Pedro netted the other one.
"The federation told us that if the plane didn't leave the game would be postponed," Guardiola said. "We were just some more amidst 400,000 stranded travellers. We had considered catching a train but AENA (Spain's airport authority) told us we might be able to fly at 11.00 today.
"We never travel the same day by coach. To play against Osasuna who had not lost at home in 12 matches we wanted to be at our best.
"We don't mind travelling, last year we went 14 hours by coach to play in the Champions League (against Inter Milan due to a volcanic ash cloud), because UEFA said they wouldn't postpone.... "We have travelled (Saturday) because we preferred to come than to lose three points."
Valencia travelled by coach to Madrid on Friday afternoon to play Real Madrid in a match it lost 0-2. Cristiano Ronaldo found the net in the 73 minute and then streaked away to notch his 16th goal of the season with three minutes remaining.
Atletico Madrid went in the opposite direction, also by coach, and lost 0-2 at Valencia-based Levante.
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