Ok, i'm sure you all saw it at the official site anyway, but here is what barca said about the decision.
Hopefully it will clear up some facts.
Barcelona protest at injustice
Tuesday 25 April 2000 19:25 (BCN)
If the Spanish Federation had applied its own rules with the same rigour it as shown with regards our club, Real Madrid should have been made to play the cup tie they were allowed to miss earlier in the season.
This is just another in a long series of injustices done to our club this season and we’re not prepared to take any more. The Spanish Federation’s lack of respect for the King’s Cup has badly hurt F.C. Barcelona. This lack of respect began with the decision to give Real Madrid a bye in the sixth round because they were unable to play the second leg. However, as we demonstrate below, they could have made the game and the same regulations the Federation is applying to us should have been applied to them.
The competition has also been mocked by organising matches on days set aside for international games. It’s not only Barca who have had to do without their best players, the other semi finalists have also seen their squads weakened by international call ups. How can the Federation say it wants to strengthen the cup when it makes teams play without their stars ? At the same time the Federation limits the number of young reserve players we can field to three, when no such limitation applies in other competitions.
Undermining the cup The Federation- inflexible with some teams, but unyielding with us – tried to doctor the cup by making us play with just 10 players. This was an insult to the competition and we refused. It should be remembered that on 26th January 1997 Athletico Madrid’s game against Tenerife was rescheduled when they were unable to field more than 10 first team players, but as many reserve players as necessary, because of illness.
An unnecessary gift. As we said, if the Federation had been as strict with Real Madrid as they have been with us , they would not have given them a bye. The first leg of the sixth round was played on 15th December when Madrid were not yet in Brazil, so they could have played that game. The return leg was due to be played on Wednesday 21th January. Madrid played on 10th against Casablanca and their reserves could have travelled back to Madrid in time to play on the 12th and fly back to Brazil for the third/fourth place play off. However the Federation chose to be flexible with Real Madrid, as they had been with Athletico, and, in a clear demonstration of favouritism, gifted them a bye into the next round. At least Manchester United decided not to compete in their cup competition. The comparisons show just how unfairly we’ve been treated and why we decided to put our foot down.
All we ask is to be able to play on equal terms, that is to say the same as Real Madrid and Athletico were allowed to do when they had a problem, gifting a bye to one team and postponing the game for the other.
Federation Interference. One of the arguments the Federation have come up with is that we only have 20 players registered for the competition, when the rules allow us as many as 25. Apart from the fact that this is an inadmissible interference by the Federation in the club’s internal affairs, 25 players would have been no guarantee, since the extra players might have been injured and we would be in the same situation.
F.C. Barcelona could have fielded a full team, with substitutes, had it not been for the absurd Federation rules that only 3 reserve players were allowed. Were it not for this rule, Barca could have called on enough reserve team players to make up a full team. It is npot, as the Federation have alleged, that we started our season without enough petrol, but rather that they won’t allow us to stop at a gas station to fill up!
We have never had any such problems in either the Spanish or Champions’ league, where we have taken full advantage of our young reserves to fill any gaps. Only in the cup do rules apply which restrict the number of reserves we are allowed to field. If the Federation wishes to restrict the progress of young players, it is their fault, not ours.
False Comparison. F.C. Barcelona also rejects any comparison with the English Premier league where a number of internationals played on Monday ahead of national team games on Wednesday. In Manchester United’s case, the season is over, as they have already won their league and are out of the Champions’ League and haven’t been in the cup. Of the other teams, Chelsea were the most affected, losing 4 players. We have lost 9 internationals.
On top of this we have recently suffered a series of unfair decisions at the hands of the Federation, such as the suspension of Kluivert for 5 games when Hasselbank(2 games) and Redondo(no suspension at all) were given much lighter suspensions for similar actions.
In addition, the recent gifts from referees that both Real Madrid and Deportivo have enjoyed contrasts with the penalties which weren’t given on Figo against Mallorca and on Dani against Oviedo, as well as Cocu’s perfectly legal goal, which was disallowed against Athletico Madrid and the inexistent penalty blown against De Boer, also in Oviedo.
Defending the club. Given all these circumstances, and the negative effect they are having, we would like to assure our associates and supporters that we will defend the club’s interests to the bitter end.
We would like to express our thanks for the messages of support we have received from our supporters, which have backed our decision to withstand outside pressures and stand up to decisions which dilute the purity of the cup competition and clearly represent a discriminatory attitude towards our club and favouritism towards others.
Hopefully it will clear up some facts.
Barcelona protest at injustice
Tuesday 25 April 2000 19:25 (BCN)
If the Spanish Federation had applied its own rules with the same rigour it as shown with regards our club, Real Madrid should have been made to play the cup tie they were allowed to miss earlier in the season.
This is just another in a long series of injustices done to our club this season and we’re not prepared to take any more. The Spanish Federation’s lack of respect for the King’s Cup has badly hurt F.C. Barcelona. This lack of respect began with the decision to give Real Madrid a bye in the sixth round because they were unable to play the second leg. However, as we demonstrate below, they could have made the game and the same regulations the Federation is applying to us should have been applied to them.
The competition has also been mocked by organising matches on days set aside for international games. It’s not only Barca who have had to do without their best players, the other semi finalists have also seen their squads weakened by international call ups. How can the Federation say it wants to strengthen the cup when it makes teams play without their stars ? At the same time the Federation limits the number of young reserve players we can field to three, when no such limitation applies in other competitions.
Undermining the cup The Federation- inflexible with some teams, but unyielding with us – tried to doctor the cup by making us play with just 10 players. This was an insult to the competition and we refused. It should be remembered that on 26th January 1997 Athletico Madrid’s game against Tenerife was rescheduled when they were unable to field more than 10 first team players, but as many reserve players as necessary, because of illness.
An unnecessary gift. As we said, if the Federation had been as strict with Real Madrid as they have been with us , they would not have given them a bye. The first leg of the sixth round was played on 15th December when Madrid were not yet in Brazil, so they could have played that game. The return leg was due to be played on Wednesday 21th January. Madrid played on 10th against Casablanca and their reserves could have travelled back to Madrid in time to play on the 12th and fly back to Brazil for the third/fourth place play off. However the Federation chose to be flexible with Real Madrid, as they had been with Athletico, and, in a clear demonstration of favouritism, gifted them a bye into the next round. At least Manchester United decided not to compete in their cup competition. The comparisons show just how unfairly we’ve been treated and why we decided to put our foot down.
All we ask is to be able to play on equal terms, that is to say the same as Real Madrid and Athletico were allowed to do when they had a problem, gifting a bye to one team and postponing the game for the other.
Federation Interference. One of the arguments the Federation have come up with is that we only have 20 players registered for the competition, when the rules allow us as many as 25. Apart from the fact that this is an inadmissible interference by the Federation in the club’s internal affairs, 25 players would have been no guarantee, since the extra players might have been injured and we would be in the same situation.
F.C. Barcelona could have fielded a full team, with substitutes, had it not been for the absurd Federation rules that only 3 reserve players were allowed. Were it not for this rule, Barca could have called on enough reserve team players to make up a full team. It is npot, as the Federation have alleged, that we started our season without enough petrol, but rather that they won’t allow us to stop at a gas station to fill up!
We have never had any such problems in either the Spanish or Champions’ league, where we have taken full advantage of our young reserves to fill any gaps. Only in the cup do rules apply which restrict the number of reserves we are allowed to field. If the Federation wishes to restrict the progress of young players, it is their fault, not ours.
False Comparison. F.C. Barcelona also rejects any comparison with the English Premier league where a number of internationals played on Monday ahead of national team games on Wednesday. In Manchester United’s case, the season is over, as they have already won their league and are out of the Champions’ League and haven’t been in the cup. Of the other teams, Chelsea were the most affected, losing 4 players. We have lost 9 internationals.
On top of this we have recently suffered a series of unfair decisions at the hands of the Federation, such as the suspension of Kluivert for 5 games when Hasselbank(2 games) and Redondo(no suspension at all) were given much lighter suspensions for similar actions.
In addition, the recent gifts from referees that both Real Madrid and Deportivo have enjoyed contrasts with the penalties which weren’t given on Figo against Mallorca and on Dani against Oviedo, as well as Cocu’s perfectly legal goal, which was disallowed against Athletico Madrid and the inexistent penalty blown against De Boer, also in Oviedo.
Defending the club. Given all these circumstances, and the negative effect they are having, we would like to assure our associates and supporters that we will defend the club’s interests to the bitter end.
We would like to express our thanks for the messages of support we have received from our supporters, which have backed our decision to withstand outside pressures and stand up to decisions which dilute the purity of the cup competition and clearly represent a discriminatory attitude towards our club and favouritism towards others.
