Celta Vigo denounces racist slurs against player at Barcelona
BARCELONA, Spain — Celta Vigo midfielder Ilaix Moriba was targeted by racist insults from Barcelona fans after their La Liga game on Saturday, his coach said.
Celta coach Claudio Giráldez said the 22-year-old Moriba, who is from Guinea, was subjected to racist slurs when he was substituted late in the game won by Barcelona 4-3.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Barcelona's pursuit of Joan Garcia and the complicated goalkeeper scenario it could unleash
Barcelona are working to seal their first piece of transfer business this summer. They want to make Espanyol's Joan Garcia their new starting goalkeeper. Garcia, who's arguably been the best in his position in La Liga last season, has a €25million ($28.4m) release clause in his contract and is expected to leave his current club before the end of the transfer window. Advertisement Barca feel Garcia is a clear one-off market opportunity at this price. Sporting director Deco and manager Hansi Flick had spoken in previous weeks about wanting to sign a new winger for their team, but Garcia is expected to make a decision about his future sooner rather than later — so Barcelona have had to make up their minds quickly. They have been in contact with the player's camp and have laid the foundations of a five-year deal. Now it is all in Garcia's hands. The 24-year-old has to choose his next club — and he is not short of options. Last summer, Arsenal came very close to signing Garcia but were not able to reach an agreement with Espanyol. As much as Mikel Arteta's team still rate him highly, last season has changed Garcia's priorities: he wants to be the No 1 option wherever he moves to. At Arsenal, with Premier League Golden Glove winner David Raya established between the posts, it is highly unlikely Garcia would immediately get a starting role, so the prospect of moving to north London has cooled. Other Premier League clubs have shown interest. Newcastle have been monitoring Garcia this season, although it's understood he's not their priority target. Bournemouth are known to rate him highly too, while Manchester City have been following Garcia but are not expected to start formal talks anytime soon. 'I am very calm,' said Joan Garcia last week, when asked about his future by local radio Catalunya Radio. 'There is a lot of news coming out about me, but we've just finished the season and I want to rest a bit. From there, I will discuss my options with my people and decide what's best for me.' Once the decision is made, there is no need to even table an offer: the buying club would simply need to go to La Liga's headquarters in Madrid and pay the €25m release clause. A succession plan in goal is clearly required at Barcelona, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen (33) and Wojciech Szczesny (35) in the autumns of their respective careers — and Inaki Pena set to leave in summer. There are some promising goalkeepers in La Masia, with American international Diego Kochen being a stand-out candidate. The 19-year-old has played with Barca Atletic this season, and is expected to be more involved with the first team in 2025-26. Advertisement But adding a first-choice goalkeeper is a task that Deco knew he was going to have to resolve at some point in the next few years. With Joan Garcia, Barca are trying to do exactly that. Club sources, who, like all mentioned in this article, wanted to remain anonymous to protect relationships, believe that any elite side who go after a new goalkeeper, in current market conditions, could be forced to spend at least €60m. Garcia is seen as a top-quality prospect, and he is available for €25m — a bargain to Barca's eyes. Despite winning the league title, Flick insisted over the last few weeks of the season that his Barca squad needed some improvements. And if you analyse the previous campaign, goalkeeper is certainly an area that can be upgraded. As much as Szczesny was a decent cover, he is not seen as a title-winning goalkeeper inside the club. The Champions League semi-final against Inter, where Yann Sommer all but got them to the final, acted as a moment of realisation around the club. 'We did not lose because of Tek (Szczesny), but Inter did win thanks to Sommer,' a dressing-room source said after the Inter game. Besides Szczesny, there is Ter Stegen. He is the club captain, an important dressing-room figure and a player who has now recovered from the severe knee injury he suffered last October. But doubts about Ter Stegen have loomed for multiple seasons. He was outstanding in the 2022-2023 season, when Xavi's Barca won La Liga, but has failed to hit consistent heights throughout his 11-year Barcelona career so far. Ter Stegen has been involved in all Barcelona's traumatic Champions League nights, from Rome to the 8-2 against Bayern to the 4-0 defeat at Anfield in 2019. The last couple of seasons have not been memorable for the 33-year-old, and the intention to change the guard at Barcelona is now very real. Garcia's profile is seen at Barca as a guaranteed upgrade to all that. He has been an excellent shot-stopper, while having the potential to be a perfect fit in Flick's high-line system. But if Joan Garcia joins Barcelona, it will leave the Catalans with a complex situation to manage in their goalkeeping ranks. Ter Stegen would inevitably see his role at the club questioned more than ever. His current contract runs to 2028, beyond his 36th birthday. And on international duty with Germany this week, the goalkeeper confirmed he has no intention of leaving Barcelona. Advertisement 'Nobody at the club spoke with me about this situation so I'm not worried,' Ter Stegen said on Sunday at a press conference. 'I know I will be at Barcelona next season.' Barca have also offered Szczesny a new contract to stay as a back-up goalkeeper. The club's ideal scenario would be to get Garcia in and offload Ter Stegen but, listening to his recent comments, that seems unlikely. All this context would add an extra layer of pressure to Joan Garcia to deliver the expected performances, as if his signing wasn't already tinged with controversy. Garcia's name has been in everyone's mouths around Barcelona over the past couple of weeks. He would be the first player in 31 years to move from Espanyol to their local rivals — and just the 14th ever registered. Relationships between both clubs and fanbases have always been tense from a local rivalry perspective, although the sense of bitterness is understandably bigger from the Espanyol point of view. The Pericos are the smaller club in the city, and have often felt ignored and overshadowed by the global brand down the road. Garcia has been the face of Espanyol on and off the pitch throughout the season, claiming to be a proud fan, kissing the badge when the team secured their La Liga safety. He comes from a family of Barcelona fans, but he joined the Espanyol youth ranks at 15 and made his way through professional football at the club. Senior figures at Espanyol have spoken publicly on the subject, and admitted they would be surprised if the 24-year-old opts to join Barca. 'I seriously doubt Joan (Garcia) will sign for Barcelona,' said Espanyol manager Manolo Gonzalez in an interview with Radio Galega last week. 'I am not saying I dare to put my hand into fire for that, but pretty close to that.' As much as Espanyol fans have assumed selling Garcia for €25m is needed for the club's finances, seeing him switching to their biggest footballing enemies would not just be a tough pill to swallow — but a case to go down in their history books. Another significant weight to carry for Garcia. Finally, there is Barcelona's financial situation. According to La Liga sources, the Catalans are currently spending money above their salary limit and as of now are not allowed to register new signings. The club are waiting to make significant progress in their works to rebuild the Camp Nou to have a positive impact on their balance. Last January, Barca sold a share of future VIP seating in the stadium to get to what La Liga calls the 1:1 rule — meaning they can register players without restrictions. Advertisement But with the stadium yet to be completed and the VIP seats not built, Barca's audit company Crowe did not allow them to count the money from the sale in this season's accounts. Barca need to have the ground and the seats built so that they can include the income from the VIP seats in their budget and start operating as normal in the transfer market. This will be another long summer in Barcelona — the Joan Garcia saga may well be the first piece of it.
Business Upturn
2 hours ago
- Business Upturn
Luka Modric to respond soon as AC Milan sends proposal to the legend
AC Milan after getting to know that Luka Modric is leaving the Los Blancos this summer, has ignited their move and now they are advancing on the talks to sign him. By Ravi Kumar Jha Published on June 4, 2025, 08:41 IST Last updated June 4, 2025, 08:41 IST AC Milan after getting to know that Luka Modric is leaving the Los Blancos this summer, has ignited their move and now they are advancing on the talks to sign him. Modric hasn't responded to the club's proposal that was sent a few hours back. As per some recent reports, the legend midfielder is expected to send his confirmation soon and the deal is most likely to happen between the two. AC Milan are reportedly pushing forward in their pursuit of Luka Modric after learning that the veteran midfielder will be leaving Real Madrid this summer. The Italian giants have accelerated negotiations in recent hours and are now said to be in advanced talks to bring the Croatian maestro to the San Siro. According to multiple reports, Modric has yet to respond to the formal proposal sent by Milan earlier today. However, sources close to the situation suggest that the 38-year-old is expected to give his green light soon, with optimism growing on both sides for a successful deal. Modric, who joined Real Madrid in 2012, has enjoyed a legendary spell at the Spanish club, winning multiple La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles. With his contract set to expire and limited game time in the 2024/25 season, the midfield icon appears ready for a new chapter in his illustrious career. Ravi kumar jha is an undergraduate student in Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia and Mass Communication. A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication and he also has a genuine interest in sports. Ravi is currently working as a journalist at
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Spain target 'enormously important' Nations League defence
Samu Aghehowa scored 19 goals for Porta as they finished third in the Liga (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA) Spain are aiming to become the first side to defend the Nations League trophy, with Luis de la Fuente's side going from strength to strength on the international stage ahead of next year's World Cup. The coach enjoys recalling La Roja's triumph at the 2023 tournament, which was an early sign that a young Spain side were heading back to the top. Advertisement It proved the springboard to Euro 2024 glory and De la Fuente wants to continue Spain's resurgence by retaining it this summer in Germany. It would bode well ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer where Spain will be among the favourites. They face France in the Nations League semi-finals in Stuttgart before a potential final against Germany or Portugal. "We attach enormous importance to it -- it's almost more difficult than a European Championship, and we want to be the first team to win it twice," De la Fuente told reporters last week. "We want to continue competing at the highest level with these teams." Advertisement After European Championship wins in 2008 and 2012, sandwiching their World Cup 2010 triumph in South Africa, the Spanish national team slumped. Poor outings at the Russia and Qatar World Cups started to fade from memory, though, as De la Fuente's side beat Italy and Croatia to win the Nations League. It helped him on a personal level too, with many doubting his credentials and blaming him for an embarrassing defeat by Scotland in Euro 2024 qualifying. The Scots beat De la Fuente's Spain in March 2023 in what was their last competitive defeat, 23 matches ago. Spain beat Italy, Germany and France on the way to the Euro 2024 final, where they got the better of England to claim their first major trophy for 12 years. Advertisement The worrying thing for the rest of the world is that De la Fuente's Spain team remains hungry, with many players yet to reach their peak. The side is led by Barcelona's teenage winger Lamine Yamal, who turned 17 on the eve of the Euro final, and on the opposite flank Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams, 22, also has his best years ahead of him. Barcelona midfield maestro Pedri, 22 as well, pulls the strings, while there are emerging talents in other areas including Porto striker Samu Aghehowa and new Real Madrid signing Dean Huijsen. - Isco's return - Despite a focus on younger players, De la Fuente showed he is not stubborn by turning to Real Betis midfielder Isco. Advertisement After a superb season in which the former Real Madrid playmaker took the Andalusians to the Conference League final, the 33-year-old finally got the call he craved. Some said De la Fuente should have given Isco a chance last summer but the coach was proven right as his team went on to win the Euros. "He's going to add a lot -- if we had any doubts, he wouldn't have been here," said De la Fuente. "He could have been at the Euros, or not, but those who had to be there, were there." Isco's presence gives Spain even more depth in a midfield packed with quality, and one which is still without Manchester City's Rodri Hernandez who has yet to return to action after missing most of the season injured. Advertisement "In Spain, we are privileged to have many very good footballers," De la Fuente said during the Euros. "I think they are the best players in the world for many reasons." In almost every position the coach is blessed with multiple strong options, with the team perhaps only short of one elite striker -- although it has not held them back. Aghehowa, 21, could develop into that player, although De la Fuente ran through all of his possible options there, including veteran Alvaro Morata, Dani Olmo as a false nine, or Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored the winner against England. "This is a team, and in that team, everyone contributes their bit to make a stronger, more solid group," said De la Fuente. "Samu is fantastic, Alvaro, Mikel, Dani... we can play in many ways with different players and that is exactly what our strength is." rbs/bsp
