Dilemma

[Cule4life]

If only Barcelona had thrown the first Atleti game or paid Levante to throw the weekend game vs Atleti, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. I guess the players and club don't hate Madrid enough and don't realise that they are mortal enemies...

Mate those are not scenarios where Barca has no chance winning the league. If something will be paid(which is illegal) it would be for teams to take points off Madrid and Atletico. Let's see what the players do if such a scenario does happen.

 

[Flavia]

To throw the game and break that ethical code just to deny another team their success is the antithesis of any sports. it is what weak people do, who are too cowardly to face reality and accept that others have been better, rather than look at themselves and the reasons of their failing.

No. If they had been better by themselves, I'd be fine with it. What I'm not fine with it is my team helping their biggest rival achieve a possible treble. That's no small feat, and the jokes from rm fans on how we "help" them would have no end. Sportmanship is fine, but the core of football is passion and rivalries. Without it, it's boring and bland. I really don't understand how any culé can be ok with rm winning a liga title, or worse, a treble, with Barça's aid. Maybe living far away from bcn make passions like this somehow weaker, but I live far away and can't fathom it.

 

[Samuel Eto'o]

Come on children. You guys are acting like its all about Real Madrid and Barcelona and all Barca have to do is turn up and they have a guaranteed three points.

I wish a mod would just lock this thread.

 

[Cule4life]

Gary Neville said "Picking City or Liverpool as your champion choice is like choosing which man nicks your wife way from you". He didnt say the best team should win. May not entirely be relevant to Barca-Madrid but still puts longstanding rivalries into context

 

[XaviMessiGirl]

Yes, I don't let stupid chants get to me. If your kid comes home and goes, "Daddy, Johnny called me a loser," would you reply to him, "Oh, punch him in the face then, everyone will be fine with it as long as you tell them you really don't like Johnny"

That depends, is Johnny wearing a Madrid jersey?

Nah I'm joking, but yeah, I understand your viewpoint. Some Barca fans don't hate Madrid (or at least not enough to consider this) and that's okay, it doesn't make them less of a Barca fan or anything. Just personally I respectfully disagree, after all the bad blood over the years (not just in football, but outside of it as well) I don't want to see Barca hand the title over to Madrid. It's not even really about what their fans would say, they're only fans - but just the idea of it sickens me.

I mean I was bitter about the whole Everton-City thing because it affected a team I love, but I understand why their fans would want that. Also the Lazio fans who celebrated their own loss several years ago so Roma couldn't win the title (perhaps an even more accurate comparison). When I first got interested in football, I didn't understand this mentality either, but over the years I've grown and don't blame fans for feeling that way about their rivals - and even agree with it when it's my club with the "power" to do so. Especially Barca-Madrid, because like others have said that's a rivalry beyond football.

Again, don't take what I've said as an attack on your opinion. Everyone is free to say what they believe is right, whether it means screwing Madrid or sticking 100% to the rule book. Also, I'm going to say that I don't condone anyone at the club paying the referee to throw the match, since someone brought that up. I don't want to see us doing anything that's actually illegal.

 

[evilhita666]

That depends, is Johnny wearing a Madrid jersey?

Nah I'm joking, but yeah, I understand your viewpoint. Some Barca fans don't hate Madrid (or at least not enough to consider this) and that's okay, it doesn't make them less of a Barca fan or anything. Just personally I respectfully disagree, after all the bad blood over the years (not just in football, but outside of it as well) I don't want to see Barca hand the title over to Madrid. It's not even really about what their fans would say, they're only fans - but just the idea of it sickens me.

I mean I was bitter about the whole Everton-City thing because it affected a team I love, but I understand why their fans would want that. Also the Lazio fans who celebrated their own loss several years ago so Roma couldn't win the title (perhaps an even more accurate comparison). When I first got interested in football, I didn't understand this mentality either, but over the years I've grown and don't blame fans for feeling that way about their rivals - and even agree with it when it's my club with the "power" to do so. Especially Barca-Madrid, because like others have said that's a rivalry beyond football.

Again, don't take what I've said as an attack on your opinion. Everyone is free to say what they believe is right, whether it means screwing Madrid or sticking 100% to the rule book. Also, I'm going to say that I don't condone anyone at the club paying the referee to throw the match, since someone brought that up. I don't want to see us doing anything that's actually illegal.

Twist ending:

What if Madrid pays the ref to throw the match OUR way? :tata1:

 

[XaviMessiGirl]

Twist ending:

What if Madrid pays the ref to throw the match OUR way? :tata1:

Then they should be relegated.

 

[Cule4life]

Dont know about other rivalries. Will Liverpool hand the title to United or Everton(yeah that wont happen just indulge me)? Will Asspanyol hand the title to Barca?Will Schalke hand it to Dortmund?....

Just saying if there's any rivalry which can justify this its Madrid-Barca.....

 

[XaviMessiGirl]

Dont know about other rivalries. Will Liverpool hand the title to United or Everton(yeah that wont happen just indulge me)? Will Asspanyol hand the title to Barca?Will Schalke hand it to Dortmund?....

Just saying if there's any rivalry which can justify this its Madrid-Barca.....

I would say a definite no. Most traditional rivalries exist for a reason and they're so ingrained in the culture of the club and its fans. But this reminds me of two seasons ago when Inter beat Milan in the derby to hand Juve the title, but Milan could have potentially won it instead if they had beat Inter. Truly a shit situation there, I know a lot of Inter fans were torn about it depending on which of those two clubs they hated more.

 

[Cule4life]

Just watched Espn press pass. Steve Nicol said he wanted liverpool to lose so that Blackburn would win the PL instead of United. Kasey Keller said fans behind his goal were shouting for them to lose so that Arsenal doesnt win the title. So yeah its not uncommon people

 

[Kerrybai]

People who bring up sportsmanship need a reality check, this isn't just about sports. Many football rivalries have deep historical backgrounds and in the case of Barca there are nationalist issues relating to Catalunya. We should absolutely throw the game, it shouldn't even be up for debate.

 

[footyfan]

People who bring up sportsmanship need a reality check, this isn't just about sports. Many football rivalries have deep historical backgrounds and in the case of Barca there are nationalist issues relating to Catalunya. We should absolutely throw the game, it shouldn't even be up for debate.

Sport is (and has been shown to be) one of the best vehicles available to mankind to promote unity and fraternity among different races, cultures and nationalities. This is only possible because sport is based on the values of respect, fairness, integrity and honour. It is slightly disconcerting that one would use such a powerful tool for political motives. I understand this may seem a little preachy and irrelevant to the actual discussion but your post sounded a little small-minded to me. You seem to be ignoring the respect and goodwill that Barcelona will gain from the general football community for playing fair and respecting the game.

I also don't understand the notion that Barca will be "handing" the title to Madrid. That implies that they are going over and above what is required, when in reality they are just giving a fair game to Atleti. If this game happened in the 20th round and hypothetically Barca were out and Madrid and Atleti were battling it out for the Liga, would you purposely lose to Atleti? In all those years when Barca were clearly not going to win the league, do you think they threw all the games against Madrid's direct title rivals?

If you REALLY wanted to win the league and prevent Madrid from doing so, why not fix the games from the start? Or do you think that is morally wrong, but throwing one match is not?

 

[evilhita666]

People who bring up sportsmanship need a reality check, this isn't just about sports. Many football rivalries have deep historical backgrounds and in the case of Barca there are nationalist issues relating to Catalunya. We should absolutely throw the game, it shouldn't even be up for debate.

If we adhere to your idea, then all they have done to us is justified too?

 

[XaviMessiGirl]

footyfan - just curious, how much have you read up about the Franco era and how much FC Barcelona (not to mention the Catalan people as a whole) were persecuted under his regime? And even today, you still get the feeling that Madrid is the nation's club. It's not our fault that the rivalry became political. And while it might be nice to some of you if all clubs and fans just held hands and got along, that's not going to happen. It's a multi-way street and it's too complicated and too idealistic to come true.

Also, I highly doubt if we play "fair" that anyone is going to remember it. They're still just going to remember all the scandals this season, players diving and whining, and that "uefalona" garbage. I'm not saying we should use that as justification for anything, but it's the truth.

 

[footyfan]

Not extensively, but I get the gist of the situation under Franco. In my opinion, you can't hold grudges that go back more than 50 years, that shit is just not healthy. Hitler destroyed more than half of Europe, now you want all those countries to cheat against Germany?