Barca closed stadium to show support for Catalan voters - Bartomeu


FILE PHOTO: FC Barcelona's president Josep Maria Bartomeu attends a news conferece to assess the season 2015/16 next to Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, June 30, 2016. REUTERS/Albert Gea Picture Supplied by Action Images

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said the club decided to play Sunday's game against Las Palmas behind closed doors to show opposition to police violence against voters in Catalonia's independence referendum and not over safety concerns.

La Liga leaders Barca's 3-0 win at an empty Nou Camp came on the day Catalan officials said that more than 760 people were injured in clashes between police and people trying to vote in the referendum, which the national government declared illegal.

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