SPAIN: SOCCER / FOOTBALL - Press conferences by Barcelona and Chelsea coaches Frank Rijkaard and Jose Mourinho as their teams prepare for their Champions League match at the Nou Camp

Record ID: 255790

  • Title: SPAIN: SOCCER / FOOTBALL - Press conferences by Barcelona and Chelsea coaches Frank Rijkaard and Jose Mourinho as their teams prepare for their Champions League match at the Nou Camp
  • Date: 7th March 2006
  • Summary: WIDE/NIGHT: OF STADIUM AT BARCELONA PRACTICE PLAYERS RUNNING WIDTH OF FIELD VARIOUS OF PLAYERS RUNNING WITH BALL CLOSEUP OF BALL BEING KICKED VARIOUS OF PLAYERS WARMING UP TOGETHER
  • Embargoed: 22nd March 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Spain
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7VSSXO9B5MP4EBS2AI4LBXYY8
  • Story Text: Coach Frank Rijkaard wants Barcelona fans to end hostilities with Chelsea and show sportsmanship and fair play towards the English club in Tuesday's (March 7) Champions League match at the Nou Camp.
    Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho had to run the gauntlet of insults and abusive chanting when he arrived at Barcelona airport and was spat at when he was on the bus before departing for the team hotel.
    "When yesterday I am the first one to leave the airport, I know what I'm doing because after that the players were received without any kind of pressure, photos, autographs, kisses and everything was easy for them," Mourinho told a news conference in Barcelona. "Tomorrow, the only thing I can do is go to the pitch before them for the warm up, try to take a little bit of the good feelings that the crowd has and make it a bit easy for them. But it's up to them. When the referee starts, it's up to them. I cannot do nothing from that moment."
    Rijkaard compared the events to the recent incident when Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o threatened to leave the pitch in a league match against Real Zaragoza because of racial abuse.
    "We had a player of our team who felt insulted - it happened a few days ago and we all were concerned because it's not a nice situation," the Dutchman told a news conference on Monday. "I truly hope that we can leave all these bad feelings and bad thoughts behind and that we can see a wonderful game of football between two very strong teams."
    On the sporting front Rijkaard said that there was no danger of his team taking anything for granted despite their 2-1 advantage after the first leg at Stamford Bridge.
    Chelsea's Frank Lampard is in line to face Barcelona after completing a training session on the eve of Tuesday's crunch Champions League game. The England midfielder had been a doubt after missing the 2-1 Premier League win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (March 4) with a hamstring injury, but there were no signs of the problem when he trained at the Nou Camp on Monday evening.
    Lampard, runner-up to Barca forward Ronaldinho in the World and European footballer of the year awards, is Chelsea's top scorer with 16 goals in all competitions.
    Chelsea are aiming to overturn a 2-1 deficit after the first leg at Stamford Bridge as they bid to reach the quarter-final stage in the Champions League for the third season in a row.
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