Messi, Pique in late-night casino furore

Manchester, February 24

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Manchester City were last night given grounds for encouragement in their vital Champions League clash with Barcelona after the Spanish side’s coach Luis Enrique refused to defend Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique over a late-night casino visit made hours before their flight to England.

Pique last night asserted his right to be with Messi and Cesc Fabregas at the casino, in the basement of the Hotel Arts building on the Barcelona sea front. “It is my private life. We just had a nice time there,” the defender said.
Messi’s justification for visiting a casino 11 hours before the Barça squad’s flight to Manchester is thought to be that he was visiting Fabregas, the Chelsea player, who has an apartment in the complex. While this is not likely to become a disciplinary issue, the coach was clearly not happy to be confronted with it on the eve of the most important game of the season so far.
Asked about the casino visit, Enrique initially poured scorn on his questioner, who was British, suggesting that he might be from one of the two Spanish radio  stations which he considers to be trouble-makers. The coach then asked: “What did the player say?” When told of Pique’s defence, he said: “I concentrate on football not stuff outside it. I am not interested.”
Enrique’s press conference revealed his irritation with questions about Barcelona’s morale. When asked about the strength of team spirit, after the defeat to Malaga on Saturday  which followed 11 successive wins, he replied: “Very nice friendly question, on the same lines as always.”
Yet his relationship with Messi has certainly been strained, with the three times Ballon d’Or winner declaring last month that his future might lie beyond Spain. Enrique, 44, did not agree with the view — voiced by Messi last week — that an improved atmosphere behind the scenes has improved Barcelona’s form. “I am not interested in creating problems and so I am not going to discuss it further,” he said. “If he thinks that way then it is fantastic.”
Enrique admitted at last night’s press conference that harmony at the Nou Camp was difficult to maintain. “This is just the environment we find ourselves in,” he said. “[It] is the fans, the surroundings of the club, ex-players, it is difficult to evaluate that…. You sometimes need extra things at this club to decorate the tree of life. I just need to concentrate on football. Everyone has their own strategy.” — The Independent