odds & ends…

Madrid’s players got two days off between their last game and their next training session.  We know how several players spent their days off:  Xabi & Nagore traveled to Liverpool to catch the game vs. Arsenal, while Iker stayed closer to home to attend the Getafe-Tenerife game.   Meanwhile, Sergio Ramos has been finalizing details of his charity match – so far we know that Iker, David Villa, Arbeloa, Negredo and Navas will be playing on his team.  Cristiano was busy going to dinner with his mom in matching outfits – how cute!  Kaká went shopping with wife Caroline and baby Luca.

Going back to the Valencia game, Cuatro showed a video of Valencia’s fans insulting Iker as he warmed up.  One of those shouting insults was a 10-year-old kid, and Iker went over to him to tell him, you should be more polite, you’re only 10 years old!  Go Iker!  Some people also shouted “Cayetano” at him, in reference to his ex Eva’s current boyfriend… pobrecito!

I don’t like to talk about other teams unless (1) there is a relation to Madrid, or (2) there’s something that really makes me angry.  And this does.  According to comments here, there were racist chants in the Camp Nou at the Espanyol game against their Cameroon goalie Kameni, and some fans also shouted ¿Dónde está Jarque? (Where is Jarque?)  Of course, not all Barça fans are like that, but this should not be tolerated by anyone.  Spanish football in general needs to stop denying that it has a racism problem.  And the Jarque chant is just classless AND tasteless.  (And if this had been Madrid fans, I would have had the same reaction).

And I loved Espanyol president Daniel Sánchez Llibre ‘s reaction to the outcome of the game (to remind you, it involved a dubious penalty that gave Barcelona a win): “no se debe perder por un penalti que no era.  Que le den 70 puntos de salida a ese equipo y el resto jugamos otra Liga y ya está” (one shouldn’t lose because of a non-existent penalty.  Why don’t they just give [Barcelona] 70 points that the beginning of the season and the rest of us can play in another league).