Éanna
25/11/2002, 2:31 PM
football365.com (http://www.football365.com/All_News/Breaking_News/story_48264.shtml)
Luis Figo was at the centre of a huge La Liga storm this weekend – when a pig's head was thrown at him in the Nou Camp!
The Real Madrid superstar is a hate figure for fans of his former club Barcelona, who expressed their rage in no uncertain terms in a goalless draw.
Figo bravely, or foolishly, insisted on taking corners in front of a particularly enraged section of the home support, by whom he was bombarded with bottles.
Referee Medina Cantalejo suspended play after 75 minutes. The Barcelona fans may regret their actions, though, as their team were clearly on top before the enforced break and could not rediscover their momentum.
However, Barca president Joan Gaspart was defiant, saying:
"The public's behaviour was in reaction to a provocation (by Figo) and I won't allow people to provoke me in my own home."
Figo, who is clearly hell-bent on winning some sort of popularity contest in Barcelona, responded:
"I think the president of a club as big as Barcelona can think certain things, but he has a huge responsibility and shouldn't say them. Thousands of people saw what happened, so Gaspart has a problem that he has to sort out."
"There can't be many people who take notice of what he says and he is not doing a good job for Barcelona. Maybe he is interested in hiding other situations in the club and camouflaging problems in the club. I'm happy if he does that because he is doing Madrid a great service."
Pick that one out, senor! Louis van Gaal had also criticised Figo's attitude in the match, saying:
"He was probably a little aggressive and insisted all the time on taking the corners."
Figo was not to be outdone. He said: "I am really surprised Van Gaal talked about me as well, he never did that in the two years we were together in the Nou Camp and it surprises me even more because I saved his skin on more than one occasion."
He insisted he wasn't taking all the corners to wind up the crowd.
"It's my job to take corners and I was prepared for the job I was expected to do," he added. "I have no problem returning to the Nou Camp, it's a great ground to play football in, but we have to try and stop this kind of situation. There are a lot of good people in Barcelona and you can't generalise because of a few vandals."
Luis Figo was at the centre of a huge La Liga storm this weekend – when a pig's head was thrown at him in the Nou Camp!
The Real Madrid superstar is a hate figure for fans of his former club Barcelona, who expressed their rage in no uncertain terms in a goalless draw.
Figo bravely, or foolishly, insisted on taking corners in front of a particularly enraged section of the home support, by whom he was bombarded with bottles.
Referee Medina Cantalejo suspended play after 75 minutes. The Barcelona fans may regret their actions, though, as their team were clearly on top before the enforced break and could not rediscover their momentum.
However, Barca president Joan Gaspart was defiant, saying:
"The public's behaviour was in reaction to a provocation (by Figo) and I won't allow people to provoke me in my own home."
Figo, who is clearly hell-bent on winning some sort of popularity contest in Barcelona, responded:
"I think the president of a club as big as Barcelona can think certain things, but he has a huge responsibility and shouldn't say them. Thousands of people saw what happened, so Gaspart has a problem that he has to sort out."
"There can't be many people who take notice of what he says and he is not doing a good job for Barcelona. Maybe he is interested in hiding other situations in the club and camouflaging problems in the club. I'm happy if he does that because he is doing Madrid a great service."
Pick that one out, senor! Louis van Gaal had also criticised Figo's attitude in the match, saying:
"He was probably a little aggressive and insisted all the time on taking the corners."
Figo was not to be outdone. He said: "I am really surprised Van Gaal talked about me as well, he never did that in the two years we were together in the Nou Camp and it surprises me even more because I saved his skin on more than one occasion."
He insisted he wasn't taking all the corners to wind up the crowd.
"It's my job to take corners and I was prepared for the job I was expected to do," he added. "I have no problem returning to the Nou Camp, it's a great ground to play football in, but we have to try and stop this kind of situation. There are a lot of good people in Barcelona and you can't generalise because of a few vandals."