Now the Daily Star and its Sunday sister paper have been severely criticised by FC Barcelona for running what it says are 'invented interviews':
In recent weeks a number of invented interviews with the club’s players have appeared in the Daily Star and the Daily Star Sunday. FC Barcelona wish to make it known that none of these interviews are attributable to the players therein cited and also to explain to our supporters throughout the world that the information and declarations made in these articles are totally and absolutely false.
FC Barcelona has officially sent the media outlets concerned a formal complaint and warned them that it will not allow any further situations like this to be repeated. Should this happen, the club will not hesitate to act in defence of its own image and the honour of its players.
This club has worked closely with the media and will continue to do so, as we believe it to be a very important part of the spreading of information about sport and in particular about football.
The background to this statement seems to be the doubts raised about a series of 'interviews' with some of the leading footballers playing in Europe that have appeared in the Daily Star Sunday.
For example, in September, Guillem Balague reported:
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has strenuously denied making comments attributed to him in an interview in this Sunday's edition of The Daily Star. I have been in contact with Pique and he also assures me that he did not even give an interview to the journalist in question.
Barcelona striker David Villa also appears to have denied speaking to the paper.
Journalist James Goyder has been following the story.
(Hat-tip to UKAtheist)
You'd almost like to admire their front in completely making up these interviews with very famous people, but actually it's just a bit pathetic, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteBarcelona - if you live by the sword, then you must be prepared to die by the sword
ReplyDeleteThis serves them right for an entire summers worth of stories aimed at unsettling Cesc Fabregas, and i wouldn't be surprised if the two things are connected
Well yes, but it's not just Barcelona and it's not like that justifies the complete fabrication of stories.
ReplyDelete(I was on a Spanish campsite when that Barcelona shirt was given to Fabregas: I wasn't at all impressed, still less when all the Barca fans in the room cheered. But like I say, that doesn't justify anything.)