Samuel Eto'o has angrily confronted Frank Rijkaard and Ronaldinho - but the Cameroonian still looks set play in the European tie with Liverpool.
The forward had stunned club officials by refusing to come on as a late substitute in the 2-0 win over Real Sociedad, although it appeared Eto'o didn't wish to risk damaging his knee after an extensive warm-up.
His coach, Frank Rijkaard, was keen to understand the reasons for Eto'o's apparent dissent but was met with an angry tirade: "It was a bad thing to come out and say in a press conference that I did not want to play," said Eto'o. "It is those who said I did not want to play that must answer you. Those who spoke should be worried."
Ronaldinho was unusually outspoken in claiming his teammate should be more considerate to the rest of the players, and not so greedy in front of goal. "If a teammate tells me, that I should think about the team, then he must first. Everything I do is while thinking about the team. That is why it has upset me so much. If they can, they should say it to my face," retorted the 25-year-old.
The Daily Mail predicts the prolific striker will miss the Champions League tie with Liverpool as a result, but that now appears unlikely after Barca president Joan Laporta offered his unreserved backing and even stated a fine would be harsh.
"When he speaks to Frank it will all be cleared up. His knee needs time to warm up and he didn't have enough time. He preferred to be careful," Laporta was quoted as saying by sports daily Marca. "He didn't do anything inappropriate or wrong. There is no way it can be deduced that Eto'o refused to play soccer for Barcelona."
In fact, the club wish to resolve the issue with as little fuss as possible and within the next week in order to avoid the kind of internal conflicts that have hampered other major sides, like Chelsea and Real Madrid, in their bid for silverware.
And while Rijkaard will have questions of Eto'o's suitability to be selected in the near future, his superb record in front of goal means a place in the squad to face Liverpool is highly probable. The club has spoken of its desire to retain their European crown, and want to portray a scene of unity ahead of the juiciest clash of the first knockout stage, where two master tacticians will go head-to-head.
