FC Barcelona decided to cancel the pre-season friendly that it had planned to play on August 15 in Tangier, Morocco, against a local team, due to the context of uncertainty generated by the migratory crisis on the Ceuta border.
The Catalan entity announced the decision through an official statement released on Thursday.
"FC Barcelona informs that it rules out the possibility of playing a friendly for the men's first team in Tangier on August 15. Given the context of current uncertainty, FC Barcelona considers that, at this time, the appropriate circumstances do not exist for holding this match," the club said.
The suspension comes after incidents in Ceuta, where the Spanish Government deployed armed forces following the massive arrival of migrants to the North African coast.
The mayor-president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, expressed before the European Parliament his “deep regret for an irreparable tragedy” and stated that around 78,000 Moroccan migrants crossed the border in a few hours.
Differences in the figures and balance of the crisis
Morocco's National Human Rights Council reported at least 14 deaths on the Moroccan side of the border and 236 injuries during last week's migrant rush. Among the injured, 136 had minor injuries and 13 were taken to hospitals, while 87 security agents received medical attention.
Moroccan authorities also indicated that about 100 people were arrested in the Ceuta area, including 11 minors, and that 69 remain in preventive detention.
In Beni Ensar, next to Melilla, another 23 people were brought to justice.
The death toll figures differ significantly between both countries. The Moroccan organization maintains a balance of 14 deaths in its territory, while the Ceuta authorities have reported 82 deaths.
According to the CNDH, the disturbances recorded in the town of Castillejos caused damage to 61 private vehicles, 15 motorcycles and 14 security force vehicles.
Barcelona maintains its preparation agenda
The cancellation of the trip to Tangier does not alter the rest of the immediate calendar of the team led by Hansi Flick. Barcelona returned to Catalonia on Monday after completing a seven-day training camp in Birmingham.
His next destination will be the Italian city of Udine, where he will participate in a friendly triangular match against Udinese and Nottingham Forest.
They will then play the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 19 against Al Ahly, historic champions of Egypt, before beginning the defense of the LaLiga title with a visit to Elche four days later.
The Barça entity chose to maintain the rest of its sporting preparation and avoid traveling to Morocco while the uncertainty scenario linked to the border situation persists.
