Rabat – Ittihad Tanger vice president Yassine Temsamani confirmed during an interview with Radio Mars that the Moroccan club will face Barcelona in a preseason friendly on August 15 at Grand Stade de Tanger.
However, Barcelona has yet to confirm. According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona has delayed the official confirmation of the Morocco friendly while monitoring the mass attempted crossings situation into occupied Ceuta.
The outlet previously reported that the Catalan club had reached an agreement with a Moroccan promoter to play a friendly in Tangier on August 15 against a local side.
The proposed fixture would form part of Hansi Flick’s preparations ahead of the new La Liga season, with Barcelona scheduled to open its league campaign away to Elche on August 23.
If the Morocco match is called off, the club’s only remaining preseason fixture would be the Joan Gamper Trophy against Egypt’s Al Ahly on August 19.
Mundo Deportivo said Barcelona wants to wait before making a final decision, and could cancel the fixture if the situation worsens.
The Catalan club’s most recent friendly appearance in Morocco dates back to 2012. During the historic pre-season match on July 28, FC Barcelona secured an 8-0 victory over Raja Casablanca.
The game served as a major celebration of football in Morocco, drawing an impressive crowd of over 30,000 spectators to the Stade Ibn Batouta in Tangier
