Barcelona players will kick-off their La Liga campaign this weekend by paying tribute to the victims of a terror attack in the Catalan city on Thursday.
At least 13 people died and dozens were injured when a van ploughed into pedestrians in the busy tourist area of Las Ramblas.
After holding a minute’s silence before training on Friday, Barca will continue their tributes going into the start of the league season against Real Betis.
First-team players will wear ‘Barcelona’ instead of their name on the back of the shirts for the visit of Betis to the Nou Camp on Sunday.
They have also been granted permission by the Spanish FA to have the slogan #TotsSomBarcelona (We
A minute’s silence will also be held ahead of kick-off, and across the country, with the players wearing black armbands as the city comes together following the tragedy.
The English Football League has also announced that all 72 teams playing this weekends will be joining in by wearing black armbands.
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 18, 2017
The front pages of the sport papers in Spain on Friday were dominated by the events on the streets of Barcelona, with Marca writing: ‘Today, we cannot speak about sport’ and Mundo Deportivo leading with ‘Horror’.
The Catalan club also showed their support for those affected by the attack on Friday morning, with players and staff standing in a semi-circle at the club’s training ground while holding a minute’s silence. Barca tweeted a short video of the tribute along with the TotsSomBarcelona hashtag.
Lionel Messi was among those to take to social media to pay his respects to those who died in the atrocity, posting a picture on Instagram showing the city’s skyline – including the famous Sagrada Familia – with a message in Spanish.
Messi writes: ‘I want to send my condolences and all my support to the family and friends of the victims of the terrible attack on our beloved Barcelona, as well as totally rejecting all forms of violence.
‘We are not going to yield, we are far greater and we want to live in a world of peace, without hatred and where respect and tolerance are the foundations of harmony.’
Barca also announced that club president Josep Maria Bartomeu and directors Pau Vilanova and Maria Teixidor were among the thousands of people who attended the minute’s silence observed at 11am in the city’s Placa Catalunya, close to the scene of the attack.
