Lionel Messi scored magnificent 2 goals as Barcelona beat Las Palmas 3-0 in a match played behind closed doors after the Spanish league refused to postpone the game on the day of the highly-charged Catalonia referendum. At least 91 people were injured as Spanish riot police fired rubber bullets and forced their way into activist-held polling stations over the independence vote deemed illegal by the Spanish government on Sunday. Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said the club made the decision to play behind closed doors at the 99,000-capacity Camp Nou as a protest against the violent clashes rather than security concerns.
"FC Barcelona condemns the events which have taken place in many parts of Catalonia today in order to prevent its citizens exercising their democratic right to free expression," Barcelona said in a statement.
"We have done it behind closed doors so that everyone can see our opposition at what is happening," added Bartomeu. "We were aware of what had happened. I think the club evaluated the possibility (of not playing) but on a sporting level that penalized us a lot."
Indeed, despite the closure of the stadium, one fan did make it onto the pitch after Barca's second goal before being quickly hauled off by stewards. Huge queues of fans waited outside the 99,000 capacity Camp Nou for hours until a final decision was made less than 30 minutes before kick-off. A Barca spokesperson confirmed that all fans who bought tickets would be reimbursed.
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