Joan Laporta, President of Barcelona FC,    Email; recepcio@laadvocats.com

The New York Times expressed its horror at the massacre of innocent children of Gaza by displaying photos of all 66 children on its front page, whose only crime was being born Palestinian.   Millions of people across the world including in Israel, USA, UK, Spain and Barcelona marched through their streets in condemnation of this horrific massacre. 

Whilst these children were being buried and whilst hundreds more seriously injured children were unable to reach a hospital because Israel bombed the road, you Mr Joan Laporta, President of Barcelona FC was busy putting the final touches to your Barcelona Football Exhibition in Israel - whilst hiding your plans to play a “friendly match” on 04 August against the world’s self-declared most racist football team - Beitar Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Football Association tells us that “Beitar’s ‘Teddy Stadium’ is built on the site of the demolished Palestinian village of Al-Malha, whose entire population was ethnically cleansed and forcibly deported by Apartheid Israel on July 15, 1948 and are now scattered in refugee camps across the Middle East.  For these people, FC Barca would be playing football on the graves of their forefathers”.

Joan Laporta, President of Barcelona FC, you have sullied the good name of Barcelona FC, hitherto celebrated world-wide, by siding with the oppressor and bringing a great club into shocking disrepute, by deliberately taking the side of the extremely racist Apartheid regime in such a visibly high-profile manner, against the wishes of right-thinking people across the globe.

Joan Laporta, you and your ‘business friend’ Beitar owner Moshe Hogeg - against the advice of Barcelona directors - chose 04 August as the moment to express your support for Apartheid racism to coincide with the 7th anniversary of a much worse Apartheid massacre in July / Aug 2014 of over 500 Palestinian children. You bring maximum disgrace on a club that was previously revered across the world for its commitment to standing up for all oppressed people against their oppressor.  You even add insult to injury by arranging to meet Isaac Herzog, President of the world’s only Apartheid State, the only other one S.A. was expelled by FIFA in July 1976.  

Joan Laporta, you dishonour Barcelona FC by turning a much-loved team into a pariah club attracting fascist supporters as did Franco’s Real Madrid, Mussolini’s Lazio and FC Zenit St Petersburg.

Joan Laporta, please do not drag the good name of Barcelona into the gutter by bringing financial & moral support to Apartheid, a crime against humanity, as Beitar Jerusalem, the team that prides itself on being the most racist club in Israel, most closely represents the murderous, extreme race hatred of the Zionist Apartheid regime.