Aurelio De Laurentiis partly strained the atmosphere around Barça-Napoli by pressuring UEFA to change the venue for the second leg and move it to neutral territory. He did it with statements that at some point rose in tone (“if something happens there, all hell will break out”). Josep Maria Bartomeu reproached him for it days ago and, now, Barça has wanted to make an official statement through Joan Bladé, who is the manager in charge of the Barça project, Espai Net i Segur (“Barça, clean and safe space”), which guarantees security measures at Barcelona facilities. Bladé sent a message of calm to Naples: “That the Naples players and their staff are sure that we will guarantee their safety and that we will be an example for everyone.”
Champions League
* Data updated as of August 7, 2020
Bladé also thanked UEFA for keeping the venue for the second leg of the round of 16 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona: “He has ratified what we asked for. What has to be done is that we can play the second leg at the Camp Nou. We already played the first leg in a pandemic situation in the Naples field and now, like all teams, we will play at home the Round of 16. We would like to thank UEFA for the decision to keep the Camp Nou as the headquarters and the health authorities of Catalonia for the support they have given us to guarantee and say that Barcelona is a city where the necessary measures are taken and that the situation is controlled “.
Champions League
* Data updated as of August 7, 2020
Bladé insisted that “We are complying with the sanitary measures that are required of us at the distance level, taking temperature, strict hand hygiene and other measures such as tests. Our players are tested every day, we guarantee that there is no risk that they can play. We are the first to be rigorous so that there is no risk. “