By Gareth Messenger
October 17 – Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has backed his decision to start charging under-sevens for entrance to games at the Camp Nou.
Rosell told Catalunya Radio this week that the choice was taken on safety grounds and was actually bringing the club into compliance with Spanish law that goes all the way back to 2007, which states every person attending a football game must have a ticket.
“I am the first who is against the decision that I have taken from a popular point of view, but I had to take it due to the responsibility I have,” Rosell said. “I prefer a headline that says ‘Rosell does not let the kids in’ than one that says ‘Rosell has killed a kid’. That is clear. It is one of those rules you are not necessarily in favour of, but it is the law.”
The move brings Barca in line with most other clubs in Spain, who stopped allowing youngsters into games for free, usually by lifting them over the turnstiles. Although the highest number of children thought to have attended a game this way at the Camp Nou previously was 10,000, against Getafe last season, Rosell said he had been told that the early evening El Clasico against Real Madrid may see as many as 40,000 under-sevens coming to the ground.
“It is not really a problem of the law but of security – any incident could provoke a stampede and there could be deaths. We do not want to run that risk. No child of less than seven years will be able to understand this step,” Rosell added.
“If I were that child of seven, I would not agree with the Barca president. I have also been seven years old and gone to the Camp Nou with my father. It is a tradition that has been there all the time. But it is difficult, because we have the entire stadium sold out.”
The decision has been met with outrage from a number of Barcelona supporters who believes Rosell is continuing to move away from the ‘More than a Club’ philosophy in Catalonia.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734866905labto1734866905ofdlr1734866905owedi1734866905sni@r1734866905egnes1734866905sem.h1734866905terag1734866905 . Gareth is editor in chief of www.laliganews.tv