Football: ‘Barca-Real rivalry hurt national team’

Spain coach says the intense rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona has left “wounds” on the national team.

MADRID: Spain coach Vicente del Bosque says the intense rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona has left “wounds” on the national team, which won the 2010 World Cup, that need to be healed. The two clubs which supplied the bulk of Spain’s line-up at the tournament in South Africa last year were involved in a series of spiky exchanges before their series of four matches in the space of 18 days in April and May. Real coach Jose Mourinho was handed a five-game ban by UEFA after he made allegations of favouritism towards Barcelona following Real’s 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2011.