BARCELONA // Barcelona hold no responsibility for the crowd trouble that halted the club's Primera Liga match against city rivals Espanyol yesterday, said the Barca club president Joan Laporta.
Referee Luis Medina Cantalejo halted the match for 10 minutes during the second half after Barcelona supporters in the upper tier of Espanyol's Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium threw flares at rival fans below.
Some Espanyol fans broke a fence and spilt onto the field in an attempt to escape from the flares.
"People were yelling at me as if I was responsible for what was happening," said Laporta, who pointed the finger at the stadium's security services.
"I only told them that we hold no responsibility and that Barca takes the necessary measures so that the violent (fans) don't enter."
Barcelona won the match 2-1. Ferran Corominas put Espanyol ahead after 20 minutes before Thierry Henry (84) and Lionel Messi (90) from the penalty spot sealed the comeback for Barca.
Espanyol were reduced to 10 men on 45 minutes when Anderson Nene was dismissed for a second bookable offence.
*AP
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
More coverage from the Future Forum
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
