Barcelona Report Ex-Real Madrid Stars for Suggesting Neymar Deserved Isco Kick

Barcelona have launched a complaint against former Real Madrid players Manuel Sanchis and Hipolito Rincon after they sought to justify a violent tackle made by Los Blancos midfielder Isco on Blaugrana forward Neymar.  

The challenge, which took place in the 84th minute of Barca’s 4-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this month, saw Isco red-carded and condemned by many. However, both Sanchis and Rincon insinuated the Brazilian, who scored Barcelona’s second goal in the game, deserved that type of roughhouse treatment.

In a statement on their official website on Monday, Barcelona noted they have reported both men to the anti-violence commission. Here’s a segment of the report:

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On the day of the game, speaking into the microphones of the Spanish radio network, La Cadena COPE, both Sanchis and Rincon justified Isco’s aggression on Neymar and, this past Sunday, they repeated said justifications, although Paco Gonzalez, the host of the COPE program, called Tiempo de Juego, gave them several opportunities to rectify their statements.

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According to the piece, Sanchis had claimed that “Neymar is going over the line, he isn’t getting [hit] enough,” while Rincon backed up his fellow pundit, saying, “If I am there, I hit him, there should be no doubt that I hit him; me and anyone else.”

Barca noted they consider the claims made as “an an invitation to violence” and have encouraged the commission to act accordingly.

Here’s a reminder of the incident involving Isco and Neymar, which saw the former lose his cool after his team had been given the runaround by Barcelona:

Spanish football journalist Rafael Hernandez feels Barcelona are right to lodge a complaint against the former Madrid players:

Anyone who has played the game will have been in a similar position to Isco, where a superior opponent is up against you, your team is losing heavily and frustration peaks. Indeed, even the Madridistas, who made their displeasure known with the Panolada handkerchief protest, chanted the Spaniard’s name as he trudged off of the field. 

However, the likes of Sanchis and Rincon, in their roles as analysts, do have a duty to conduct themselves with a degree of class despite their allegiances. It seems as though they may have crossed the line here, and the response to the complaint will certainly be intriguing.