A police investigation has been launched after Barcelona’s team bus was attacked before Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Chelsea, according to reports.
Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge but it was ahead of kick-off that the bus was ‘ambushed’ on the way to the stadium, the Mirror report.
It is understood that Barcelona players, including English star Marcus Rashford and 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal, were left ‘shaken’.
It’s believed no players were physically hurt and neither club has yet made a statement about the incident, with police now searching for the culprits.
Staff forced to repair broken window
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Staff were forced to repair a broken window on the team bus so the players could be transported to Gatwick Airport after the match.
A bus cannot be legally driven in the UK with a broken window if it obstructs the driver’s vision or compromises safety.
Barcelona lost the game 3-0 after an own goal from Jules Kounde before Estevao Willian and Liam Delap scored for Chelsea.
Did Hansi Flick mention team bus incident?
Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s head coach, didn’t mention the team bus incident after the match and instead expressed his frustration with the performance of his players.
‘We need to be more aggressive, especially in the one against one situations,’ Flick said.
‘When you see Chelsea, they always have that aggression, they play more with the body, more dynamic in the one against one situations. This is what I want from my team.
‘Sometimes we think we can we control, also with the ball, but here in the Champions League, and especially here against a club playing in the Premier League, second in the table, it’s not like that, so we have to fight a little bit more and play more aggressive.
‘But we started very well in the game, we had a big chance to score the first goal and, of course, with a red card, everything changed.
‘It’s not easy against this fantastic team to come back with 10 players. We have to accept this defeat, but I am looking very positive for the next games.’
Team bus attack follows Brugge incident
The attack on Barcelona’s official team bus comes just weeks after some of the club’s fans were forced to evacuate a different bus while travelling to a match against Club Brugge.
The bus carrying the Barcelona supporters dramatically burst into flames just hours before kick-off in Belgium.