Surprise in Barcelona! AS Roma has indeed decided in recent hours to cancel without explanation its participation in the Gamper Trophy scheduled against the Catalans on August 6th. We know a little more about the why and how.
Barça had to deal with a very bad surprise on Monday. Indeed, Roma have decided to cancel their participation in the Gamper Trophy. A surprise for the Catalans, more than annoyed by the behavior of the Italian club, which made the decision on its own without warning Barça. Legal action could even be decided by the Blaugrana, as indicated via a salty press release: « FC Barcelona announces that AS Roma has decided to terminate unilaterally, and without reason, the contract negotiated to compete in the Gamper Trophy on August 6th. (…) Barça would like to point out that this cancellation goes against its will and that it is only due to the decision of AS Roma. The Legal Sector of the Club is studying the appropriate actions to repair the damages to the Italian club following this unjustified and unexpected decision for FC Barcelona and its supporters. “. But while Roma are discreet about the reasons that led them to cancel their presence at the Gamper Trophy, some Italian media believe they have explanations. In question ? the PSG !
PSG still in the hands of Barça?
Have a good Sunday! ❤️???? pic.twitter.com/zm64dx6Vau
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) June 26, 2022
As relayed by the media Football Italia, the strong relationship between Roma and PSG are behind the Romans’ withdrawal from the Gamper Trophy. According to Corriere dello Sport, the president of Roma, Dan Friedkin, is close to Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who was not keen on the idea of seeing the Louve club participate in an event with a founding member of the Super League. PSG ally against the Super League project, Roma would therefore have accepted the Ile-de-France request. It must be said that Friedkin and Al-Khelaifi know each other from different businesses than football. They have indeed common affairs in luxury hotels. Another win for PSG against Barça if this information is confirmed, even if it does not fly very high. Note that also on the transfer market, the capital club is eyeing a Catalan star: Frenkie de Jong. But the latter wants to stay and win in Catalonia.
