Barcelona’s shocking loss at home to Malaga this past weekend was among the biggest surprises and it also came at a price as their top defender will be forced to miss a game following another yellow card. Meanwhile, Robin Van Persie could once again be sidelined for an extended period while the United States women’s national team welcomed back their star goaltender. Those are some of the biggest headlines of the weekend but we’ll start at Crystal Palace where fans have had enough price gouging.
Crystal Palace Fans Protest Ticket Prices
It was an ugly weekend at Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace fans protested against the ticket prices to watch the club. In the wake of a new Premier League broadcasting deal that will pay the league about five billion euros, it seems like the league is doing just fine and ticket prices could be lowered a little bit.
The fans that had made their way in to this weekend’s game against Arsenal brought with them several signs including one of a pig eating at a table full of cash and one that read, “SHARE THE WEALTH, PIGS”. The ticket price for a “Grade A” game with Arsenal is a littler higher than others but it’s reasonable that the team’s supporters wouldn’t want to have to pay more to cheer against a top tier club like Arsenal. Crystal Palace has yet to respond to the actions of the fans and it will be interesting to see how things play out.
Van Persie Sidelined Once Again
Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie is once again in the news for the wrong reasons after he suffered an ankle injury following the club’s match with Swansea City. Van Persie struggled to put weight on the leg following the loss and ended up leaving the stadium on crutches and in a walking boot. The 31-year-old striker is expected to get the results of an MRI as early as Monday and fans will be anxiously waiting to see just how bad the injury is. While most Man U supports have been clamoring for additional personnel at central defense or defensive midfield, it looks like a centre-forward is an urgent need as Van Persie’s decline has come quickly.
Barcelona Lose Pique In Shocking Loss
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique will miss the club’s upcoming fixture with Granada after picking up his fifth yellow card during Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Malaga on Saturday. The card came on a seemingly innocent play in this week’s surprising defeat and is likely as much of a sign of his current frustrations as anything else. Barcelona had been in contention for the top spot in the table but now they’ve fallen four points back of Real Madrid.
Pique has been Barcelona’s best defender all season and while he will be missed, don’t expect Barcelona to suffer two straight defeats. Even without Pique, they should bounce back and earn three points against Granada, who is currently 19th out of 20 teams in the La Liga table. More importantly, Pique will be available for Barcelona’s Champions League game against Manchester City on Tuesday but they now that the gap between them and Real Madrid has widened at the top of the table, they can’t afford any more slip ups.
Hope Solo Returns To USWNT
US goalkeeper Hope Solo was reinstated by US soccer following a 30-day suspension that was reportedly the result of a number of incidents including a run-in with the police. She has a laundry list of infractions, including one of the latest where she was in the car with her husband at the time he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. That’s on top of two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence against her that have been dismissed.
Solo was welcomed back by her teammates following a month in which she posted inspirational messages to fans on social media and continued to show her support by showing up at the team’s exhibition games. Solo will be on the roster for next month’s Algarve Cup in Portugal.
