Barca feel ‘robbed in our own home’, says Xavi after Frankfurt fans flood stadium

After Barcelona’s Europa League loss to Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, Xavi Hernandez stated the team felt like they had been “robbed in their own home.”

The second leg drew around 20,000 Frankfurt fans, with a sea of white jerseys in the stadium creating a hostile atmosphere for the Barcelona players.

Frankfurt seized the lead in the fourth minute on their route to a 3-0 advantage, and despite Barcelona’s late two-goal comeback, they were unable to prevent a 4-3 aggregate loss.

“It’s not an excuse but the atmosphere affected us. We were not comfortable,” said Xavi in a press conference on Sunday. “I had a bad feeling from as soon as we got on the bus at the hotel and we did not feel at home.

“Then we gave a penalty away in the first minute,” Xavi added. “It was a nightmare night in every sense, on and off the pitch. It started badly and ended badly. You feel robbed in your own home.”

Barcelona allocated 5,000 tickets to Frankfurt fans, but over 30,000 tickets were purchased through unauthorized sources.

Joan Laporta, the club’s president, said he was “ashamed” by the number of Frankfurt fans inside the stadium and that future tickets will be non-transferable.

In protest, La Grada d’Animacio, a Barca fan club, has announced that they will boycott the team’s La Liga game against Cadiz on Monday at home.

“It was a mistake by the club, for sure,” said Xavi. “When the club finds out what caused what happened on Thursday, they will explain it to us.”

Barcelona’s loss against Frankfurt was their first under Xavi since December, and it came after a dramatic 3-2 La Liga victory over struggling Levante.

With a game in hand, Barcelona is second in the rankings, 12 points behind Real Madrid. They are just three points ahead of Real Betis in fifth place, despite the fact that Betis have played two more games.

“The level has dropped, that’s clear,” Xavi said.

Asked if his team can still challenge Madrid for the title, Xavi said: “If we don’t win the eight games we have left, no. The first objective is to qualify for the Champions League next season. If after that we can challenge for La Liga, perfect.”

Pedri will miss the game against Cadiz after injuring his hamstring against Frankfurt.

“He was in his best form of the season, it’s a setback for him and the team,” Xavi said.