Jordi Camp. Socio (Barca club member) since the day he was born in 1975. Sits opposite the main stand, second tier.
“It’s a good thing for Barca’s president Bartomeu that there are no fans allowed in games right now because they would be going crazy at him.
"I blame him and his board 100 per cent for this situation with Messi. They have spoiled everything built by [former president] Joan Laporta, by Pep Guardiola, by Johan Cruyff. He’s destroyed the Masia, he’s had four technical directors in five years. They wasted an incredible amount of money on players and still there’s no sign of what their project actually is.
"I can understand why Messi wants to walk away from this and I think the president wants him to leave. Bartomeu told his best mate Luis Suarez to leave in a flash, knowing that would annoy Messi. Barca need the money, they need to save money. The finances of the club have been a major problem and the directors offer personal guarantees to the bank when they take control. Barca is not a company like other football clubs, remember, but one owned by its members.
"I’m still not sure Messi will go, but if he does he’ll have my eternal respect. I’m just sad that my four-year-old son, Bru, will not remember him. He’s already been to Camp Nou, but will he remember seeing Messi, the greatest player ever?
"Messi made me happy, but while he expressed himself so well on the pitch, he’s not comfortable talking off it. The bureau fax he sent saying he wanted to leave was cold. He’s not stupid, but he lives in a bubble. His Argentinian accent hasn’t changed in 20 years because he’s surrounded by Argentinians. He doesn’t speak Catalan, but nobody can be perfect. I still consider him Catalan.
"I’ll remember him so well with so many incredible memories. The best was against Manchester United at Wembley in 2011. There, you had the complete performances from a team with six Catalans in the starting line-up and eight Masia graduates managed by a Catalan, Pep, and assisted by a Catalan, Tito Vilanova. They played the perfect game in the Champions League final against a United team who had reached three of those finals in four years. Messi’s reaction to that was the best I saw, when he kicked the microphone. It meant too much to him. I was behind the goal going crazy.
"I remember him in that semi-final win against Madrid in 2011 a few months earlier too. Barca outclassed Jose Mourinho’s team and he resorted to saying ‘Why? Why? Why?’ after the game. Loved it.
"Messi still has two years at the very top. He can then drop back to be a midfielder like Xavi because he’s such a good passer and so intelligent when he has the ball. I’ll miss him and still hope he doesn’t go.”
_______________
Barca fans protest outside Camp Nou
_______________
Roberto Garcia. Season ticket in main stand, first tier, since 2000.
“I travel a lot for my job but I always said that wherever I was in the world, I would go back to Camp Nou for the final game where Guardiola, Iniesta, Xavi and Messi were together. I did this in 2012. I’d lived through their golden era and loved it. I stood behind the goal in Rome and watched Messi hang in the air to score that incredible goal in the European Cup final. I was at Wembley behind the goal when he kicked the hoarding in celebration.
"It’s absolutely tragic what has been allowed to happen with Messi and for him to leave in these circumstances. Andres Iniesta was given a fitting, emotional send off. Xavi too. But I also believe Messi’s tactics are wrong because he holds all the cards. He could have gone back into training and told the club that he was going to play one more season and then leave for free.
"The club don’t want him to do that because they want money for him. They want his €100 million (Dh435m) gross annual salary off the payroll and they want to get some money for him. They got it wrong by allowing Iniesta and Xavi, two of the best players in the world, to leave for free. Football is about trophies but also economics. The best clubs balance the two. Barca have not.
"So he’s played into their hands by staying away and it all looks a little ugly. It could get uglier, because fans will revert to siding with their club in the long term.
"Messi is adamant that he wants out but I don’t believe he’s thinking clearly and he doesn’t deserve the fans turning against him. He’s getting the benefit of the doubt at the moment because he’s Messi and doesn’t have a reputation for being a trouble causer, but he doesn’t want a situation where fans start to have some sympathy for the board, who will be briefing against him, because the board do not deserve any sympathy.
"If he goes, history will still show that Bartomeu let Messi go. And that will be even more incredible as there will be elections in nine months and he won’t win them, but Messi will have gone in awful circumstances.
"What would Barca do with the money anyway? The mismanagement of the Neymar money is legendary and that of the football team too. They’ve let club legends grow old while playing, which isn’t normal. Too many of the players are over 30 but it’s a complicated situation. This team still won the league in 2018 and 2019.
"Deep down, I’m not convinced he’s played his last game for Barca. I’d love to see him in the shirt again, even if it’s just once because he’s given me so many incredible memories and won so many football games against the best sides in the world single-handedly.”
________________
Messi's dad in Barcelona for crunch talks
________________
Jimmy Byrne. Season ticket holder for 25 years, Second tier, South goal.
“Messi will go. He can't turn back now. He’s not going for the money, but because he’s seen the club fall down around him. He’s seen so many managers and sporting directors come and go, he’s seen the current state of the team and the failure to change it. Half the team who were in that 8-2 defeat in Lisbon played in the Champions League final five years ago.
"I can’t say anything against Messi. He has every right to say that it’s a shambles and he deserves to play in a better team, but I’ve long thought that he won’t be remembered as one of our own. Maybe it’s because he’s not a Catalan, maybe it’s because people fawn if he says two words in Catalan, but his aura comes across as a player and not because of anything he says.
"Messi’s records will stand and likely never be broken, but he should never have been Barça captain. He’s the best player and has been for a long time, but while he could often change the game by himself – even against the best – he couldn’t raise those players around him in those Champions League defeats to Roma, Liverpool or Bayern. His shoulders were slumped, his head was down, his hands were on his hips. That’s not what you want from your captain.
"But how can you fault him over the years? He always turned up against Madrid and in those big Champions League games against Bayern or PSG. Probably the best goal I saw him score was the header against in the Rome final against Manchester United, but he’s created so many memories. I’d go to games season after season thinking that he couldn’t get any better and he would. And even though we knew he was the best, he would still surprise you as he shuffled along the edge of the box with the ball, beating players before scoring.
"I don’t think his performances have diminished much either, but he used to have Xavi, Iniesta and Neymar around him. And when he did, he was still head and shoulders above them.
"Messi’s game has changed a little bit with age. He plays deeper but that’s fine, he’s the best passer in the world and he’s happy to set up others. I don't think he’s obsessed about breaking more records, he’s happy to play a ball over the top to set up a teammate. He can be at the very top for another two or three years if he plays his current role, but he can’t chase full backs and, because Luis Suarez couldn’t either, that’s a flaw in Barca’s pressing game.
"Ronald Koeman has been brought in with a new broom to clear out the old guard. I have little faith in him and Barca fans demand trophies every season. They won't give Koeman two years and they can be fickle – all football fans are.
"I have so little faith because the president Bartomeu is a disaster and has been since day one. He oversaw the abandoning of La Masia and Barca B went from being a feeder team where everyone played the same way to just another team with journeymen pros. Barca started losing more of their best young players, like Eric Garcia to City. He’s a Catalan; he’s a Barca fan. Why is he joining Man City?”
_________________
The 10 best Messi goals for Barca
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
The five pillars of Islam
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
Results
5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
NBA Finals so far
(Toronto lead 3-1 in best-of-seven series_
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109
Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123
Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105
India Test squad
Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
Read more about the coronavirus
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
A Dog's Journey
Directed by: Gail Mancuso
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott
3 out of 5 stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The years Ramadan fell in May
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
%3Cp%3EBy%202030%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%20aims%20to%20achieve%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2039.3%20million%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20nearly%2064%25%20up%20from%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20Dh90%20billion%20contribution%20to%20GDP%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2084%25%20more%20than%20Dh49%20billion%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20178%2C000%20new%20jobs%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20bringing%20the%20total%20to%20about%20366%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2052%2C000%20hotel%20rooms%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20up%2053%25%20from%2034%2C000%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%207.2%20million%20international%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20almost%2090%25%20higher%20compared%20to%202023's%203.8%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%203.9%20international%20overnight%20hotel%20stays%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2022%25%20more%20from%203.2%20nights%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 3
Gayle (23'), Perez (59', 63')
Chelsea 0
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPros%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEasy%20to%20use%20and%20require%20less%20rigorous%20credit%20checks%20than%20traditional%20credit%20options%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOffers%20the%20ability%20to%20spread%20the%20cost%20of%20purchases%20over%20time%2C%20often%20interest-free%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EConvenient%20and%20can%20be%20integrated%20directly%20into%20the%20checkout%20process%2C%20useful%20for%20online%20shopping%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHelps%20facilitate%20cash%20flow%20planning%20when%20used%20wisely%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECons%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20ease%20of%20making%20purchases%20can%20lead%20to%20overspending%20and%20accumulation%20of%20debt%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMissing%20payments%20can%20result%20in%20hefty%20fees%20and%2C%20in%20some%20cases%2C%20high%20interest%20rates%20after%20an%20initial%20interest-free%20period%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EFailure%20to%20make%20payments%20can%20impact%20credit%20score%20negatively%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERefunds%20can%20be%20complicated%20and%20delayed%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ECourtesy%3A%20Carol%20Glynn%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Leaderboard
15 under: Paul Casey (ENG)
-14: Robert MacIntyre (SCO)
-13 Brandon Stone (SA)
-10 Laurie Canter (ENG) , Sergio Garcia (ESP)
-9 Kalle Samooja (FIN)
-8 Thomas Detry (BEL), Justin Harding (SA), Justin Rose (ENG)
Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)
The five pillars of Islam
