Very few times, or probably none at all, have I had to leave the celebration of a League title won by Futbol Club Barcelona on the back burner because there was another news event related to the match that required it. And unfortunately, this is what happened on Sunday night when, in the Cornellà stadium, a group of violent supporters who should be banned from a football match for a long time, disrupted the blaugrana squad's celebration on the pitch. The invasion of the field has no possible justification, and nor does the harassment of the players, nor the obscene images of far-right supporters on the field of play, nor the security measures adopted, given that what ended up happening was always a possibility. But nor is there any explanation for the silence of those in charge of Real Club Deportivo Espanyol, who, at the time of writing 24 hours later had only made a statement of ten lines, which they had not yet published on their official Twitter account, without any apology and with a much too simplistic explanation given the severity of the incidents.
The fact that the blanc-i-blau club is going through a difficult sporting juncture is no excuse. Someone should have stood up, because what happened on Sunday must not happen in a football stadium. Under any circumstances. If Espanyol end up relegated to the second division, it will be on their own merits, poor sports planning and ownership by the Chinese company Rastar Group, which controls 99.35% of the shares, and has not got anything right. It will be the first time that it has only been able to stay in the highest category for two years after promotion (2021) when on the previous occasions after the club had returned from relegation (four times) its resistance was greater. All this is what may take Espanyol to the second division, not the three points it lost on Sunday.
The inferno of the Cornellà stadium, which we all saw live on television, of some players racing towards the dressing room tunnel, out of fear for their physical safety when they became aware of the pitch invasion, is not acceptable in any situation. And of course, a celebration on the pitch after securing a longed-for league title is fully justified. As it is equally part of normality for a circle of players and technical staff to gather in the centre of the field. Those who think that taking a few minutes for this is too much and a provocation should think first that we are talking about sport and that the pressure of a whole season fully justifies it.
Having said that, the difference between Barça and the second-placed team in the classification - fourteen points at the moment - and having been proclaimed champion with four matches still to play gives an idea of the dominance of the blaugrana team in this championship. Xavi Hernández's sports project is still under construction and goes hand in hand with the organizational leadership that the coach has yet to achieve. For this machinery to sing as on other glorious sporting moments, it will be necessary to have patience - something that is always lacking at Barça - a positive atmosphere in the dressing room and a communion between the management, starting with its president, and the Terrassa-born manager. That is because the financial situation of the club is still very delicate and it will be a real headache for years if the goal is for the organization not to lose its current legal structure as a club, and to remain in the hands of its members.