Juan Garcia Raises Concerns Within Espanyol Club

The Spanish newspaper "Sport" revealed a sense of concern within Espanyol ahead of the highly anticipated Catalonia derby against Barcelona, scheduled to take place on January 3 at the Stage Front stadium, due to the return of goalkeeper Juan Garcia to the field—this time as Barcelona's starting goalkeeper.

According to the newspaper, Espanyol fears the reactions of its fans towards the goalkeeper, who was a player for the club until last summer. This has prompted the management to take action to avoid undesirable situations that could lead to sports sanctions or even the closure of the stadium.

The newspaper explained that the biggest concerns are the possibility of projectiles being thrown from the stands, which the club aims to prevent through unprecedentedly enhanced security measures during the match, especially in the most sensitive supporter areas, primarily the Canito stand, as well as securing the goalkeepers, including the goal that Juan Garcia will be defending.

Sport added that the security plan includes increasing the number of security forces and private guards, as well as forming human barriers behind the goal, with the aim of ensuring the derby proceeds without incidents that could spoil the atmosphere of the match.

In the same context, the report pointed out that Espanyol is also betting on calming the atmosphere in the media ahead of the match, through messages calling for sportsmanship and understanding the fans' feelings, but without allowing Juan García's return to become a crisis. It emphasized that the main goal is for the derby to be decided solely on the pitch.