News Archive

Friendly matches

Yet another sign that Spain is in deep financial melt-down as the number of friendly games during the winter break was drastically reduced. Normally several of the autonomous regions put out sides against international opposition, but this year it seems only Catalonia have bothered. Johan Cruyff took over as their coach as they met Argentina in the Nou Camp, where a crowd of over 50,000 saw their heroes beat Diego Maradonna's team 4-2. Several of Barcelona's Club World Cup winning squad took part in the game, whilst other colleagues stayed in the Middle East to play a lucrative friendly in Kuwait. Meanwhile Sergio Ramos and Kanouté headed up a charity match in aid of "African children in need" in the Bernabeu stadium between a "La Liga" selection and a side made up of African players, mostly from the Spanish first division. (22.12.09)