Barcelona Set to Commence La Liga Campaign Behind Closed Doors

• Barcelona kick off their La Liga season on August 13
• The Catalan team are set to visit Getafe
• This La Liga fixture is set to be held behind closed door

Barcelona’s opening La Liga fixture of the 2023/24 campaign against Getafe is set to be played behind closed doors.

The Catalans who are hoping to get their season off on the best of notes may have just been dealt a raw deal or the perfect boost as they are set to deal with one less hostile crowd, as the hosts have been ordered to play without fans.

Reports from Barcablaugranes state the sanction placed on Getafe goes all the way back to an incident in 2019 when a clash with Tenerife saw Getafe fans throwing things from the stands.

A recent ruling from the Supreme Court has now ruled that Getafe will need to serve a one-game fan ban because of the incident, and it will come into effect against Barcelona.

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Getafe’s stadium ban incident explained

In 2017, Getafe player Sergio Mora was subject to chants of ‘assassin’ and ‘[Expletive] Getafe’ around the Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez, before a smoke bomb was released in stoppage time.

The Getafe fans would then invade the pitch on the final whistle, as per reports from Relevo.

They threw seats and prevented the refereeing team and opposition from reaching their dressing rooms, in a grim show of power.

Originally, a stadium ban was issued to the Madrid-based club, but it was later replaced by an €18 000 fine, but recent protests by the Anti-Violence Committee have appealed that decision, and ultimately caused the ban to fall on the first day of this coming campaign.

Barcelona’s last trip to Getafe came back in April and ended in a 0-0 draw. The match also famously drew complaints from Xavi afterwards.

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Sports Brief had previously reported Barcelona are set to no longer forfeit their Champions League slot for next season after Spanish police reportedly cleared the Catalan club over allegations of trying to influence referees.

The recently crowned La Liga champions have been under investigation by anti-corruption authorities for months over alleged payments made to former Spanish refereeing chief, Enriquez Negreira.