The Barcelona president confirms the club will sell non-transferable tickets for their next European games.
Joan Laporta insists Barcelona officials are not to blame for the ticketing controversy during the team’s 3-2 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Over 30,000 Eintracht fans cheered their team’s impressive victory over Barca at Camp Nou. The Bundesliga heavyweights knocked out the Catalans from the Europa League, leaving the Spanish fans furious over the ticketing fiasco.
A group of Barcelona fans boycotted the team’s home game against Cadiz on Monday, which ended in a shocking 1-0 loss for Xavi Hernandez’s side.
Speaking after the game, Laporta reiterated that fans should not blame the club for what happened during the Eintracht fans.
“The club is not to blame for what happened against Eintracht, but it is responsible,” Laporta said.
“We didn’t sell tickets to German fans beyond the 5,000 away tickets. Sales from Germany weren’t allowed and there were many people trying to buy tickets from there. The system of control worked up to a point. But some organised groups were able to breach the mechanisms in place.
“We inherited the system from the previous board. We thought it could work but we have seen that for special games it doesn’t.
“Tickets will now be non-transferrable for non-domestic matches and high-risk games. We are working on other measures so that it does not happen again.”
Asked who should be held responsible for the incident, Laporta added: “A group of members misused their season tickets, which they ceded to German fans.
“It is sad because we love this club and it is hard to imagine season ticket holders giving their tickets to rival fans. But this happened and it will be subject to analysis.”
Be sure not to miss out on the latest news about FC Barcelona
Download our brand new App and follow your favorite players, clubs, and much more
