La Liga file complaint against Barcelona over controversial chants targeting Spain in Athletic Club match | OneFootball

Barcelona’s La Liga home opener against Athletic Club at Spotify Camp Nou was overshadowed by a protest from sections of the home support, with La Liga formally reporting five separate incidents from the stands following chants directed at Spain, the National Police and Atletico Madrid.

The atmosphere inside the stadium was influenced by events from the previous weekend, when a police intervention involving a young Barcelona supporter carrying an estelada in Elche sparked controversy among parts of the Blaugrana fanbase.

The dispute followed Barcelona back to Camp Nou, where pro-independence flags became a prominent feature of the matchday. 

The Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) had announced plans to distribute 10,000 esteladas around the stadium, and the flags were visible throughout the stands as the teams emerged for kick-off.

Now, as per SPORT, LaLiga has included five incidents in its official report from the match and referred the matter to the RFEF’s Competition Committee and the Anti-Violence Commission, which will assess whether any punishable behaviour occurred.

Barcelona fans’ protest began before kick-off

The protest was visible from the moment the players entered the pitch.

With thousands of Estelada flags on display, the Grada Gol Sud became the focal point of the demonstrations, and chants against Spain and the Spanish national team were also heard from that area of the stadium.

According to La Liga’s report, the first incident took place around two minutes before kick-off. 

Supporters in the Grada Gol 1957 section, located within Gol Sud, chanted “F**k Spain, f**k the national team” for approximately 10 seconds.

The same chant was heard again in the 18th minute and lasted for a similar period.

La Liga considers the nature and content of the chants potentially sanctionable, prompting the competition’s governing body to document them as part of its post-match report.

LaLiga records five separate incidents

The chants directed at Spain were not the only incidents identified by LaLiga.

In the 56th minute, supporters in the Grada Gol Sur were heard chanting “idiot, idiot” for around 10 seconds. 

Two further incidents followed in stoppage time as the match approached its conclusion.

Barcelona fans held the Estelada flags throughout the match. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

In the 92nd minute, home supporters chanted against the National Police, while another chant directed against Atletico Madrid was recorded two minutes later.

Those incidents brought the total included in LaLiga’s report to five.

The report has now been passed to the relevant authorities within Spanish football, moving the issue beyond the match itself and into a formal disciplinary process.

Barcelona now await a decision

La Liga’s decision to include the incidents in its report does not itself determine that a punishment will follow.

The Competition Committee and, where appropriate, the Anti-Violence Commission will now examine the complaint and decide whether the behaviour recorded during the Barcelona vs Athletic Club match warrants any sanction.

For Barcelona, the Athletic Club match was supposed to mark the beginning of Barcelona’s home La Liga campaign. 

Instead, the fallout from events in Elche ensured that much of the attention after the final whistle was focused on the stands, and the potential consequences that could now follow.