FC Barcelona official resigns after saying Rafael Nadal ‘represents the enemy state’
After making controversial comments regarding Rafael Nadal, Barcelona Foundation vice-president Alfons Godall resigned after saying Nadal “has made me uncomfortable since day one.”
Nadal is famously a supporter of Real Madrid, Barcelona’s main rival, and made history when he came from two sets down to beat US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final to become the first male player to reach 21 Grand Slam titles.
Nadal beat 20-time Slam titlists and main competitors Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to such a feat. Federer missed out as he recovers from surgery, whilst Djokovic was deported just one day prior to the ‘Happy Slam’ starting.
FC Barcelona are currently undergoing a tumultuous time both on and off the pitch with lacklustre results leading to a disappointing league position paired with a number of boardroom catastrophe’s and ongoing financial woes.
Barcelona as both a club and a city are Catalan. With many Catalonians wanting independence, tensions and disparities run high between Catalonians, Basques and the rest of Spain.
Nadal’s monumental victory and achievement prompted Godall to air his controversial views of his Spanish counterpart.
In a scathing tweet, Godall wrote “Rafael Navidad (misspelling of Nadal) has made me uncomfortable from day one.
“I have him in the same group as La Roja (Spanish national team nickname), Real Madrid, [Fernando] Alonso (Formula One driver) and everything that represents the enemy state.”
Godall then announced his resignation in a follow-up tweet. This post read “the tweet with my opinion about a famous person and his profile can harm the Barca (Barcelona) Foundation due to pressure from some companies and the media.
“I don’t want to cost FC Barcelona a penny or give up my freedom of expression. Consequently, I resign from the position. Thank you!!”
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