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Gerardo Martino, coach of Barcelona team preparing for the first championship match against Sevilla's Real Betis, is convinced that his players must distance themselves from the recent scandal and only focus on how to beat their opponents.
FIFA announced that the Catalan club violated the rules of acquiring ten young footballers from 2009 to 2013 and imposed strict sanctions - banning the club from signing or selling any players for a year.
The team leaders confirmed that they will appeal and threatened to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Furthermore, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu stated that they have received "interesting information" about people who are potentially trying to harm the club.
During a press conference on Friday, G. Martino emphasized that now the most important thing for his players is football and events on the field.
"We cannot completely ignore the current events, but I believe that the players should focus on the match. Constant talk of conspiracy theories is harmful to the players and hinders their concentration," said the Argentine, also noting that Barcelona is still fighting for three trophies this season.
According to the coach, there are many different opinions circulating in the public space now, the majority of which, according to G. Martino, are simply untrue.
"At this stage of the season, we must not forget about football matters," the coach reminded.
