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Tag: Barcelona

  • Dream dinner party guests: Obama, Springsteen and Spielberg delight Barcelona restaurant staff

    Dream dinner party guests: Obama, Springsteen and Spielberg delight Barcelona restaurant staff

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    Staff at a Barcelona restaurant were left amazed when a mysterious last-minute booking turned out to be for the former US president Barack Obama along with film director Steven Spielberg and singer Bruce Springsteen.

    After dining on Thursday evening at the Palace Hotel’s Amar restaurant, the trio posed for a photograph with employees. The picture was posted on Instagram by staff member Pol Perello and captioned: “Pleasures that this job brings you!!”

    Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, along with Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw, were in town for Springsteen’s Friday night concert at Barcelona’s Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

    The seafood dinner took place after the Obamas’ late night flight to Barcelona, according to Spanish radio network Cadena SER. Amar chef Rafa Zafra said their reservation was made only hours beforehand at the recommendation of famed Spanish-American chef José Andrés.

    “José Andrés called me and told me that it was a very important table, but that we should please not say anything,” Zafra told Cadena SER. “And of course, I began to investigate and saw that Obama was coming, that Bruce had a concert…”

    The group came “tired”, but keen to “try everything”, according to Zafra. During the meal, they “ate a lot” — including oysters, shellfish, and caviar — and “drank a little”.

    “The one who behaved best was the one who had to work today,” Zafra said, referring to Springsteen’s Friday night concert.

    On the group photo, Zafra said: “The security people told us to please not ask them for photos, but just before leaving, Obama entered the kitchen and told us that this had been one of their best meals and if they could take a photo with the whole team.”

    On Friday, Barack and Michelle Obama, accompanied by Spielberg and Capshaw, visited a handful of Barcelona’s landmark cultural sites, local media reported, including the Sagrada Familia and the Moco Museum.

    According to photos and videos shared by Spanish media, the Obamas — surrounded by heavy security detail — strolled around central Barcelona hand-in-hand, occasionally waving at onlookers.

    Spielberg, a longtime friend of Obama’s, has been a fixture at events and holidays with the former president. During his White House tenure, Obama awarded the acclaimed director with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

    “His stories have shaped America’s story and his values have shaped our world,” the then-president said.

    Obama has been friends with Springsteen since the Boss supported him on the campaign trail during the 2008 presidential election. The pair also co-hosted the 2021 podcast series “Renegades: Born in the USA”, in which they discussed their friendship, their families, music, and issues facing America.

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    #Dream #dinner #party #guests #Obama #Springsteen #Spielberg #delight #Barcelona #restaurant #staff
    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • ‘Better team lost’: Emma Hayes says Chelsea had Barcelona panicking

    ‘Better team lost’: Emma Hayes says Chelsea had Barcelona panicking

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    Emma Hayes said she was proud of her players following their Champions League semi-final exit after a 1-1 draw with Barcelona at Camp Nou was not enough to overturn the 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

    “For us, we’re not going through because of the home tie,” said Hayes. “It’s very difficult to come here. If there was a little bit longer in the game, I think we would have gone on and won it. But I can’t ask for any more, I don’t know many teams that can come here and put them under pressure. They were panicking, you could hear it on the touchline. Even their manager got booked, they’re not used to that.”

    The England defender Niamh Charles said: “We did not come here simply to soak up Barça pressure and then play on the break. We tried to balance knowing where and when to push and press but also when to sit and hold at the right time, because we respect them. Across this and the first leg, it’s about fine details. We’ll come again next year.”

    Guro Reiten’s goal for Chelsea came four minutes after her compatriot Caroline Graham Hansen had extended Barcelona’s lead in the tie to two goals. It was a moment to stun the home crowd, which is not used to seeing Barcelona conceding given that the Catalan giants have let in just five goals in the league this season. At the Camp Nou this season in the WCL they had previously beaten Rosengard 6-0, Roma 5-1 and Bayern Munich 3-0: an average of 4.6 goals per game.

    “Look at the previous results here,” said Hayes. “I don’t think you understand how challenging it is playing in this stadium with an unbeaten record in the last four years. You have to stay in football matches. I can’t criticise our performance tonight. We’re going out in the competition because of the home leg. Today, I think the better team lost.”

    Hayes added that “the gap is closing across Europe and today’s performance was evidence of that.”

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    Responding to the claim that the better team had lost, Barcelona manager Jonatan Giráldez said: “I think there [at Stamford Bridge] we were better. For me, the result there was tighter than it should have been and in the return leg we were superior as well in general. We dominated almost the entire game.”

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    #team #lost #Emma #Hayes #Chelsea #Barcelona #panicking
    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona: how to watch it on TV, live stream, news, injuries, line-ups and prognosis

    Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona: how to watch it on TV, live stream, news, injuries, line-ups and prognosis

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    FC Barcelona and Real Madrid will face each other this Thursday in the Clásico of the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. The Catalans come from a tough defeat at Almería, while Real Madrid were unable to beat Atleti at the Santiago Bernabéu in the Madrid derby.

    City: Madrid

    Stadium: Santiago Bernbeu

    Day and time: Thursday 2 March. 9:00 p.m. Spain, 2:00 p.m. Mexico, 5:00 p.m. Argentina

    TV channels: La1

    Live streaming: the1 website

    TV channels: ESPN

    Live streaming: Star+

    TV channels: ESPN Mexico

    Live streaming: Star+

    Robert Lewandowski

    Robert Lewandowski/Aitor Alcalde Colomer/GettyImages

    Robert Lewandowski will not be present. FC Barcelona has communicated this morning through its social networks that the Polish player suffers an injury that will keep him away from the pitch for 14 days. The former Bayern player joins Pedri and Ousmane Dembélé on the list of players who will not travel to Madrid. Very important losses for Barcelona fans.

    On the part of Real Madrid, the infirmary is not so full. Rodrygo, Alaba and Mendy are the players who will not be available for the big game on Thursday.

    Barça have been at a very low level for two consecutive games, while Madrid were not able to defeat Atlético de Madrid, but last week they exhibited themselves at Anfield.

    From 90min we are betting on a close match with few goals, because although the meringues have more ballots to win given the losses of Barça, in the rear the culés are still impeccable.

    Luka modric

    Luka Modric/Quality Sport Images/GettyImages

    Courtois, Nacho, Rüdiger, Militao, Carvajal, Camavinga, Valverde, Modric, Kroos, Vinícius and Benzema

    Ter Stegen, Balde, Koundé, Araújo, Christensen, Busquets, De Jong, Kessié, Gavi, Ferran Torres and Raphinha

    Real Madrid 2-1 FC Barcelona

    #Real #Madrid #Barcelona #watch #live #stream #news #injuries #lineups #prognosis

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    #Real #Madrid #Barcelona #watch #live #stream #news #injuries #lineups #prognosis
    ( With inputs from : pledgetimes.com )

  • The FC Barcelona begins the polls to sign Julián Álvarez

    The FC Barcelona begins the polls to sign Julián Álvarez

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    From the start of the season after his arrival at Manchester City, Julián Álvarez proved to be a youthful player with above-average talent. The Argentine forward, with everything and the presence of Erling Haaland within the club, scored a good number of goals, which was worth a place in the World Cup where his great explosion came. ‘La Araña’ won the place for Lautaro Martínez and was key for the representative from Albiceleste to win the world title.

    FBL-ENG-PR-BOURNEMOUTH-MAN CITY

    FBL-ENG-PR-BOURNEMOUTH-MAN CITY / ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages

    However, after the World Cup finished and after returning at the beginning of 2023 with Manchester City, Julián has not added the desired minutes in Guardiola’s eleven. The Argentine striker has become a regular substitute and it wasn’t until this weekend that he returned to the starting lineup and that was revealed with a couple of goals. Julián is a weight forward, not a man on the bench and that is why there is already talk of his possible departure from City.

    Sources in Spain report that FC Barcelona is very attentive to the present and future of Álvarez, a player the club has liked since he was at River Plate and who now attracts even more after his evolution so far this season. The culés would have had a first approach with their environment to carry out the survey and define if the footballer will be within the summer market and if so, how much money would have to be paid for the possible signing of him. A signing that will not be cheap.

    CONTINUE READING: All the UEFA Champions League finals of the 21st century, ranked

    #Barcelona #begins #polls #sign #Julián #Álvarez



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    ( With inputs from : pledgetimes.com )

  • F1 | Barcelona takes away the last chicane for the Spanish GP

    F1 | Barcelona takes away the last chicane for the Spanish GP

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    The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is back to old-fashioned and for the 2023 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix it will remove the last chicane.

    Introduced several years ago in the hope of seeing an increase in overtaking, the variant that effectively cut through the last two corners didn’t actually bring the desired show and for the event on 2-4 June it was decided to take a step back.

    The management of the Catalan track, in collaboration with the FIA ​​and the F1 Race Director, Niels Wittich, opted to readopt the last two right-hand corners which then lead onto the starting straight, a decision that had already been discussed for several months and that today it was made official.

    Stuart Robertson (FIA Safety Manager) and Wittich carried out the inspection giving a positive opinion to return to the 4.657km version, also approving the new safety barriers installed outside in the escape routes in the last sector.

    Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18

    Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

    However, Barcelona remains with double homologation and the chicane can be used according to the needs and choices of the various championships that will use the circuit for their events.

    In 2023 we will then see other changes, such as the widening of the run-off area in turn 1 with 70m of gravel and a new FIA fence to protect turns 1 and 2, thus significantly improving the safety of the drivers and insiders.

    The service roads surrounding the area and a part of the public area will also be rearranged by March, while for spectators there will be a new billboard located at the exit of the pit lane, still in the form of a tower and with more modern graphics.

    Finally, the curbs were repainted, with further renovation works for the areas reserved for the public and the toilets.

    #Barcelona #takes #chicane #Spanish

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    ( With inputs from : pledgetimes.com )

  • Erik Ten Hag faces ‘reality’ before Manchester United’s Barcelona test

    Erik Ten Hag faces ‘reality’ before Manchester United’s Barcelona test

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    Barcelona. Manchester United. A packed Camp Nou. A Thursday night. Oh, that. Erik ten Hag described this Europa League playoff as the clubs’ “reality” right now but insisted that they are on their way back to a better place, with both teams needing a “reset” and this meeting now offering a measure of their recent revival. The United manager has also admitted that he does not know why he was unable to convince Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to move to Old Trafford in the summer.

    “It’s good [to meet],” the United manager said. “We both have the ambition to be in the Champions League and not just be there but really [have an] impact on the competition – get out the group, reach the semi-finals, the final, even win it. But the reality is that we are here. That tells you that both clubs need a reset. We are both going in the right direction and it is exciting to face each other because it will help us. You know where you are. It is a good test and from this test we can get better.”

    According to Luke Shaw, United were “nowhere near where we should have been” at the start of the season but they have now won 12 and lost just one of their last 15 games. Barcelona are also rebuilding and have won 14 and drawn one in the same period. This game has been seen in Catalonia as a test of how good Barcelona really are and Shaw, who said he did not yet know if he might play at centre-back, insisted the same was true for United.

    “We have learnt and grown, and that is showing in our performances,” he said. “This is a big game and it will show us where we are.”

    They have done so without their prime target in the summer, after De Jong resisted United’s overtures – and Barcelona’s attempts to make him leave. He has since become a fundamental to the improvement at the Camp Nou. Asked why he was unable to convince his countryman to join him, Ten Hag smiled and replied: “I don’t know.”

    He said: “Frenkie de Jong is an incredible player and he would strengthen any club in the world. He has a quality that means that any team would be better with him. He is a fantastic player, he can play out from the back, he always has time. It was a pleasure to work with him [at Ajax].”

    Though De Jong could not be persuaded, Casemiro could, and Shaw said that the Brazilian gives the defence a sense of security that has been central to their improvement.

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    “It has been quite obvious how important he is to us [by what happens] when he doesn’t play,” he said. “For us defenders, it gives us the feeling that there is security: his positioning, where he always is, he loves to win the ball and tackle. We say to him that he likes to give the ball away just so he can go and win it back again. He is extremely important and I am happy to have him back because he has been a big miss for us.”

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    #Erik #Ten #Hag #faces #reality #Manchester #Uniteds #Barcelona #test
    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Barcelona mayor suspends ties with Israel, including twinning agreement over Palestinian rights

    Barcelona mayor suspends ties with Israel, including twinning agreement over Palestinian rights

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    The Mayor of Barcelona, ​​Ada Colau, has suspended institutional relations with Israel, including the twinning agreement between the city and Tel Aviv, local media reported.

    Ada Colau, the left-wing mayor, said in a press conference on Wednesday the decision was a response to its crime of apartheid and its repeated violation of human rights against the Palestinians.

    “More than 100 organizations and more than 4,000 citizens have called for the defense of the human rights of Palestinians, and for this reason, in my capacity as mayor, I informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a letter that I suspend the institutional relationship between Barcelona and Tel Aviv,” the mayor said.

    Ada Colau further added, “I have decided to temporarily suspend relations with the State of Israel and with the official institutions of this state, especially the twinning agreements with the Tel Aviv municipality, until the Israeli authorities end the systematic violation of Palestinian human rights.”

    As per the media reports, activists from left-wing parties and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement succeeded in collecting the signatures of 5,000 citizens of Barcelona on a petition calling for the abolition of relations between Barcelona and Tel Aviv.

    Twinning agreement

    A twinning agreement was signed between the municipalities of Barcelona and Tel Aviv in 1998.

    The Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, pointed to the importance of this agreement in “strengthening joint cooperation between the two cities in various fields that concern civil residential communities, primarily tourism and the economy.”

    Barcelona is considered an important tourist destination for Israelis, in light of Barcelona annually hosting the World Conference on Communications and Smart Cities, which provides a platform for Israeli companies in this field to showcase their innovations.



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    #Barcelona #mayor #suspends #ties #Israel #including #twinning #agreement #Palestinian #rights

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )