Pedrerol warns Real Madrid protest could hand Barcelona a boost

Real Madrid fans have been urged to reconsider plans for a pre-match protest before Saturday evening’s La Liga meeting with Villarreal, with television presenter Josep Pedrerol saying whistles at Santiago Bernabeu would benefit Barcelona.

A number of supporters have called for demonstrations over the club’s recent results and the conduct of some players, including Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, as well as the leadership of president Florentino Perez.

The campaign has spread on social media under the slogan “Whistles at the Bernabeu… the Bernabeu speaks”. Fans have been encouraged to make their feelings clear in the minutes before kick-off as a public expression of their dissatisfaction with the situation at Real Madrid.

Pedrerol, host of El Chiringuito, criticised the proposal and said an early show of anger would increase pressure on Real Madrid rather than help the team ahead of an important league fixture.

“Barcelona fans should thank Real Madrid supporters very much for whistling at their players,” Pedrerol said.

He added that Joan Laporta, the Barcelona president, would be delighted if the stands at the Bernabeu became a source of pressure on Real Madrid’s squad.

Addressing supporters who back the planned action, the Spanish journalist said: “It seems to me that they are Barcelona fans.”

His comments reflected his view that the players should not be placed under additional pressure before the Villarreal match, although he did not dismiss the fans’ right to express their frustration.

Pedrerol said whistles would be understandable if Real Madrid performed poorly during the game. In particular, he said supporters could justifiably react if the match reached its closing stages with the team failing to show enough effort to recover the result.

The dispute comes amid criticism of Mbappe over how he spent the recent international break. The France forward chose to spend time in France and Switzerland with Ester Exposito rather than focusing on recovering from the discomfort he has been experiencing.