Valentine’s Day reconciliation at Barcelona

MADRID – Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho made a public display of reconciliation by embracing as Barcelona tried on Wednesday to heal the rifts caused by the Cameroon striker’s recent outburst.

The teammates hugged each other at the start of training, a day after Eto’o had criticised the Brazilian playmaker and coach Frank Rijkaard. Eto’o hit out at Rijkaard after the Dutchman said he had refused to come on as a substitute in Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Racing Santander.”Telling a news conference I didn’t want to play is the behaviour of a bad person,” the striker told reporters.The Cameroon international also made a thinly veiled criticism of Ronaldinho, who had suggested Eto’o should put the interests of the team before his own.But club captain Carles Puyol said on Wednesday the whole matter had been a misunderstanding and the problem solved.”We had a meeting between the captains of the team (Puyol and Xavi) and then spoke to Ronaldinho and Eto’o because it was an important enough matter to talk over together,” Puyol told a news conference.”Ronnie’s (Ronaldinho’s) comments were misinterpreted.When they both met today it was clear Ronnie did not want to criticise Eto’o.Eto’o has no problem with Rijkaard either.”Nampa-AFPEto’o hit out at Rijkaard after the Dutchman said he had refused to come on as a substitute in Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Racing Santander.”Telling a news conference I didn’t want to play is the behaviour of a bad person,” the striker told reporters.The Cameroon international also made a thinly veiled criticism of Ronaldinho, who had suggested Eto’o should put the interests of the team before his own.But club captain Carles Puyol said on Wednesday the whole matter had been a misunderstanding and the problem solved.”We had a meeting between the captains of the team (Puyol and Xavi) and then spoke to Ronaldinho and Eto’o because it was an important enough matter to talk over together,” Puyol told a news conference.”Ronnie’s (Ronaldinho’s) comments were misinterpreted.When they both met today it was clear Ronnie did not want to criticise Eto’o.Eto’o has no problem with Rijkaard either.”Nampa-AFP

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.