Pau Cubarsi speaks out after Barcelona fan’s Elche flag incident

Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi has criticised the use of excessive force after a supporter was allegedly assaulted by police during the club’s visit to Elche, saying the incident “cannot happen again”.

The confrontation, which involved a fan carrying the Catalan independence flag known as the Estelada, has caused anger within Barcelona’s dressing room and intensified a dispute that has extended beyond the football pitch.

Barcelona began their campaign with a difficult away fixture against Elche at the Martinez Valero, but the match was overshadowed by footage shared on social media. The videos appeared to show a group of police officers hitting a supporter who was holding the flag.

The club responded with a strongly worded statement, describing the level of force used as “disproportionate”. Barcelona also made a symbolic protest by replacing a planned tribute to Spain’s World Cup winners with the raising of the Catalan independence flag.

The move was made despite the sub-delegation of the government stating that the confrontation began after the young man had assaulted a police officer. The explanation did little to ease the anger within Barcelona, where the incident continued to be discussed after the match.

Cubarsi became the most prominent member of the squad to comment publicly when he spoke to TV3 on the sidelines of Thursday’s news conference following Barcelona’s match against Athletic Bilbao.

The young centre-back backed the club’s decision and repeated the criticism made by Barcelona’s board.

“It was a decision made by the club, and I think it was the right one given what happened in Elche. This cannot happen again; excessive force cannot be used in this way,” said Cubarsi.

His intervention followed a gesture of support from team-mate Gavi. Rather than issuing a public statement, Gavi reacted to a post by the Sant Antoni supporters’ group using emojis alone. The response was interpreted as a clear expression of solidarity with the Barcelona fans who had been present in Elche.

Cubarsi’s comments underline the impact the events had inside Barcelona, with the defender making clear that the club believes the response to the supporter went beyond what could be justified.

The controversy has therefore remained a significant issue around the team despite the focus returning to domestic football. Barcelona’s public statement, decision to raise the Estelada and the comments from players have all reinforced its position that the incident required a forceful response.

For Cubarsi, the matter was not simply a club-level decision. His words showed that members of the squad also regarded the scenes in Elche as unacceptable and wanted to make their opposition to the use of excessive force clear.