Barcelona cancel Morocco pre-season friendly amid Ceuta migrant crisis

Barcelona have cancelled their pre-season trip to Morocco and will not play the scheduled friendly against IR Tangier on August 15, citing the acute migrant issue in Ceuta as the reason for the decision.

Tens of thousands of migrants entered the Moroccan border into Ceuta, and Ceuta leader Juan Jesus Vivas told the European Parliament that "between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in the enclave," expressing "deep grief" over the "irreparable tragedy" of 100 deaths during maritime crossings. The club said the growing social and political circumstances in the region left them no alternative but to call off the match.

Club administrators had viewed the Morocco tour as a high-profile test for senior players; its cancellation is the second significant event dropped from Barcelona’s summer schedule and has been described as a setback to Hansi Flick’s efforts to establish rhythm within his group.

Earlier in pre-season Barcelona also saw a planned behind-closed-doors meeting with Preston North End cancelled; that fixture had been scheduled for August 3 at a training facility in the United Kingdom and its abandonment left the team without a competitive opponent during a vital week of training.

On the field Barcelona have continued preparations, opening their summer schedule with a 4-1 victory over CE Europa and drawing 2-2 with Birmingham City in their most recent match, which they subsequently lost on penalties.

The club must now decide whether to schedule an additional warm-up match or rely on training at the Ciutat Esportiva, with the main emphasis remaining on August 23 when they kick off their defence of the LaLiga championship away at Elche.