Barcelona Cancels Tangier Friendly Over Regional Instability

Overview

• Barcelona announced on Thursday that the men's first-team friendly in Tangier scheduled for 15 August has been ruled out because of current uncertainty and local conditions.
• The club sent representatives to Tangier and consulted ministerial authorities before deciding the match could not go ahead.
• Reports say Barcelona had a contract to receive about €4.5 million for the game, which was already announced locally before being placed in doubt.
• The match would have been the first pre-season game with the full squad available after World Cup winners were due back around 12 August, so its loss reduces on-field preparation time.
• Barcelona will continue with shorter fixtures in the Venezia Giulia Cup and the Joan Gamper match against Al Ahly on 19 August as they finalise preparations for the LaLiga opener on 23 August.