Barcelona's Spanish club has settled on facing Al-Ahly Club in the upcoming Joan Gamper Cup tournament, after studying a number of different options to choose the team that the Catalan club will face in the friendly match that witnesses the presentation of the team's official list in front of the fans.
According to the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona initially wanted to play the match against one of the English Premier League clubs, due to the great popularity enjoyed by the English teams and the strong competitive level of the league, and Fulham was one of the names put on the negotiating table.
The newspaper added that the Catalan club's calculations changed after Fulham announced the appointment of Spaniard Álvaro Arbeloa as the team's technical director, as Barcelona was not enthusiastic about the idea of the former Real Madrid coach participating in the Joan Gamper Cup match, given the historical relationship between the two clubs and the sensitivity of the matter to the Catalan club's fans.
Fulham was not the only option for Barcelona, as other clubs entered the circle of interest, including the Dutch Ajax and the Mexican Cruz Azul, but the negotiations did not reach a final agreement regarding holding the friendly match in Barcelona.
The confrontation between Al-Ahly and Barcelona comes within the Spanish team's preparations for the new season, and as an annual occasion during which the club presents its new formation in front of its fans in its stadium.
The Barcelona club spokesman had confirmed that the negotiations with Al-Ahly had reached advanced stages regarding playing the Joan Gamper Cup friendly match at Camp Nou Stadium.
The spokesman said in his statements to Yalla Koura this Saturday morning: "At this stage, what I can say is that Al-Ahly is the closest team to playing the Joan Gamper Cup match on August 19".
