Classless Barcelona: tapping up Fabregas and more reasons why the European Champions lack class

Barcelona have been branded classless and disrespectful this week after posting the following quotes from midfielder Xavi on their official website relating to long-term target and Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas:

"I spoke to Cesc in Ibiza and he said he was suffering, because he really wants to come. It’s what he most wants, he’s done everything he can to come and wants Arsenal to let him go."

It understandably infuriated Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, but as he pointed out, it isn't the first time Barca – who claim to be "more than a club" – have fallen from their moral high horse…

MAY 2001 - UEFA CUP SEMI-FINAL VS Liverpool

The Catalans are famous for their flowing brand of football, which we all love to watch, but they aren't always good losers and the toys come out of the pram the minute things don't go their way. This was evident when Liverpool dumped the Spanish side out of the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 2001, securing a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp with a disciplined defensive display and returning to Anfield where they won 1-0.

Bearing in mind Barcelona had beaten Leeds 4-0 at home earlier that season, as well as beating Chelsea 5-1 and Man United 4-0 in the Nou Camp in recent seasons, not to mention putting four past Arsenal away from home, understandably Liverpool were keen to return to Anfield with a chance of progressing to the final. Not that Barca were happy about the Reds refusal to open up.

Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff described Liverpool as "horrible", while the Barcelona-briefed Catalan press accused the Reds of "betraying football". Meanwhile, Cruyff's son Jordi, a former Barcelona man who was set to meet Liverpool in the final of the competition as an Alaves player, predicted that "It could be one of the most boring finals in history".

What followed was the most exciting UEFA Cup final ever as Liverpool defeated Cruyff's side 5-4 to lift their third trophy of the season. Barca won nothing.

MAR 2002 - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SECOND GROUP STAGE VS LIVERPOOL

After Liverpool lost a Champions League group match against Barcelona 3-1 at Anfield in November 2001, the Barca players – still smarting from defeat the previous season – couldn't help but gloat by criticising the Reds "negative" tactics.

When the teams met again after Christmas, Barcelona's Dutchman Frank De Boer said, "ahead of our game at Anfield in November I thought Liverpool were preoccupied with negative tactics. I stand by my comments. When you look at the players Liverpool have at their disposal, it does not make any sense that they play in the way that they do."

His team-mate and compatriot Patrick Kluivert swung his clog in, too: "I think many people have been surprised by Liverpool's negative tactics this season because they remember the Liverpool teams of the 1980s and 1990s who played football in a Dutch passing style."

Acting-Liverpool manager Phil Thompson meanwhile, refused to be drawn into a public feud by humbly admitting to have "too much respect for Barcelona to criticise".

Barcelona won nothing again that season, while rivals Real Madrid knocked them out en route to Champions League glory. Meanwhile, the "Dutch passing style" was missing from the World Cup in Japan and South Korea that year, as De Boer and Kluivert's national team failed to qualify. Liverpool's "negative" midfielder, Dietmar Hamann, presumably shed few tears for Barca's Dutchies, as he strolled out for the World Cup final with Germany.

NOV 2002 - LA LIGA MATCH VS REAL MADRID

Real Madrid's Luis Figo - previously of Barcelona - was pelted with bottles, lighters and various other missiles at the Nou Camp by Barca's fans, who even threw a pig's head on to the pitch as their league match was delayed for several minutes because of the incident. It's one thing to hold up a 'Judas' sign, but throwing missiles at a player is taking it too far.

APRIL 2010 - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL VS INTER

In April 2010, Xavi, Gerard Pique and some of their Barcelona team-mates circled referee Olegario Benquerenca in the Nou Camp tunnel after they were dumped out of the Champions League by Inter (they weren't so angry when Chelsea were robbed in the 2009 semi-final at Stamford Bridge).

The Spaniards allegedly hounded the Portuguese referee following their semi-final defeat, accusing him of favouring Inter because they were managed by his compatriot, Jose Mourinho.

World Cup winner Xavi later remarked: “It was a shame that the ref helped the team that tried not to play football and not the team that did.”

Far from favouring the Milanese side, Benquerenca actually reduced the Italians to ten men, sending Thiago Motta off for violent conduct in the first half when replays conclusively proved Sergio Busquets had feigned injury. Motta would have felt hard done by with a yellow card.

To add to these classless post-match antics, the club also turned their sprinklers on when Jose Mourinho and his players celebrated victory on the pitch at the end of the game.

JULY 2010 - SPAIN'S WORLD CUP CELEBRATIONS

As Spain's returning heroes celebrated adding the World Cup trophy to the European Championship they won in 2008, Barcelona's Gerard Pique and Carlos Puyol forced a Barcelona shirt on to Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas, a Catalan transfer target at the time and under contract with the Gunners. It's ok for Barca to blatantly tap up a player, even using Spain's World Cup celebrations for that purpose, but if a player chooses to leave their club he gets a pig's head thrown at him. More than a club, eh?

APRIL 2011 - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL VS REAL MADRID

For the third year running, a Champions League semi-final involving Barcelona was marred by controversy as the brilliance of Lionel Messi was nearly overshadowed by the Catalan's play-acting and unseemly off-the-field antics. Substitute goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto received a red card for fighting at half-time and Sergio Busquets was again found guilty of dreadful play-acting, clutching his face despite no contact being made from a Madrid player.

In truth, both sides contributed but Barcelona's diving was a total embarrassment. Brazilian right-back Dani Alves rolled around on the ground and was carried off on a stretcher after a challenge from Pepe, when TV images later showed the Portuguese international hadn't made any contact.

Pepe was sent off with the score still 0-0 and Alves, unsurprisingly, was fine to carry on playing. Yes, we all know Jose Mourinho acted like a total prat in the build up, but Barca weren't exactly innocent. It's time they stuck to playing great football and stopped pretending they are angels.

Substitute Jose Manuel Pinto is sent-off for fighting:

Serigo Busquets and Dani Alvez, farcical play-acting:

Do you think Barcelona are classless? How do you feel about the way they're handling the Cesc Fabregas transfer saga? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below...