'Barcelona' sparks controversy: Russian blogger invite to Camp Nou opening angers supporters
Barcelona invited Russian blogger to the stadium opening (photo: instagram.com/hasbulla.mogomedov)
Catalan club Barcelona officially invited Russian blogger Hasbulla Magomedov to the opening of the renovated Camp Nou. The club's move sparked outrage among Ukrainian fans due to Barcelona's active engagement with the Russian media space amid Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
Barcelona invited Hasbulla Magomedov
The official invitation mentioned two matches: on September 28 against Real Sociedad and on October 19 against Girona.
Moreover, the letter also included two other names: fighter Ayub Gimbatov, who published the invitation online, and Hasbulla's manager, Kurban Amiraslanov.
Official invitation from Barcelona (photo: instagram.com/hasbulla.mogomedov)
Reaction of Ukrainian fans
The invitation sparked outrage among Ukrainian fans. Against the backdrop of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, Barcelona is showing engagement with the Russian information space.
Fans noted that such steps contradict Spain's public support for Ukraine and appear to be a blatant inconsistency.
Scandals in the past
This is not the first time Barcelona has found itself at the center of a scandal due to cooperation with the Russian side.
In 2023, several club players appeared in a promotional video for the Russian streaming service Okko Sport.
In the video, the players thanked fans from the aggressor country for their support and said they would see them soon.
At the time, the CEO of Shakhtar Donetsk publicly reacted to the video and expected an apology from the Catalan club.
