FC Barcelona News: 3 August 2013; Barça Trash Santos in Joan Gamper Trophy Game, 24 Players Travel to Izrael

Joan Gamper Trophy: FC Barcelona 8-0 Santos: Match Review - Barca Blaugranes
FC Barcelona reclaimed the Joan Gamper Trophy with an emphatic 8-0 rout of Santos at the Camp Nou on Friday night, as goals from Cesc Fabregas (2), Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Pedro, Adriano and Jean-Marie Dongou secured Barça’s 36th victory in the competition’s 48-year history.

Team flies to Tel Aviv | FC Barcelona
The group is being led by president Sandro Rosell, vice presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu, Javier Faus and Jordi Cardoner and directors Jordi Moix, Ramon Ponet, Dídac Lee and Josep Ramon Vidal-Abarca, as well as director of football Andoni Zubizarreta. The 24 players are also being joined by former presidential candidate Lluís Bassat and four fans on a plane whose capacity is 132 people.

Tata: "The pressure is what I liked most about the game" | FC Barcelona
Tata Martino’s debut on the bench of the Camp Nou ended with a convincing 8-0 victory over Santos. After the match, the Argentinian manager held a press conference in the Ricard Maxenchs Press Room. Clear and direct, Martino said: "The pressure is what I liked most about the game. I was interested in winning possession back high up the pitch and we did that in the first and second halves."

Neymar: "It's a luxury to play with these team-mates" | FC Barcelona
Neymar da Silva Santos Junor made his debut at the Camp Nou as an FC Barcelona player this Friday night. The Brazilian’s ex-teammates were unable to stop the Blaugrana when they went forward, conceding eight unanswered goals. "Playing with Barça at the Camp Nou was a marvellous experience," said Neymar.

24 players named to the team ahead of the 2013 Asia Trour | FC Barcelona
Now that the Joan Gamper Trophy is over it’s time to focus on the 2013 Asia Tour which will take Tata Martino’s Barça to Thailand and Malaysia. On their way to the far east, FC Barcelona will make a pit stop in Israel and Palestine, where Barça executives and players will participate in the Peace Tour – there will be two football clinics, one in Palestine and another in Israel.

Neymar and Tata Martino take centre stage at FC Barcelona's 2013/14 presentation | FC Barcelona
The first members of the team to be presented were Tata and his coaching staff. One my one they trotted out onto the pitch as Manel Vic, the ‘speaker of the Camp Nou,’ heralded their arrival. Accompanied by Roura, Rubi and Pautasso, Gerardo "Tata" Martino came out of the tunnel and received the first ovations of the night.

Neymar and Tata make an appearance at the Supporters Club World Congress | FC Barcelona
The Supporters Club World Congress came to a close with a big surprise. At around 13.00, President Sandro Rosell announced that Barça’s only signing of the summer, Neymar da Silva Jr, and the new manager, Tata Martino, were about to make an appearance.

Barça B nearly back to full strength | FC Barcelona
Barça B trained this Wednesday at nearly full strength as the 11 reservists – Patric, Sergi Gómez, Planas, Bagnack, Ilie, Kiko, Espinosa, Samper, Joan Román, Dani Nieto and Dongou – who have been training with the first team returned to training under Eusebio Sacristán. In addition to the payers above, two Juvenil A players, Toni Sanabria and Godswill, joined Barça B’s training session.

Barça B sign Edu Bedia | FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona have agreed to sign Edu Bedia, who will play Barça B for the next two seasons. The player, born in Santander, arrives to Barcelona as a free agent from Hércules. His buy out clause is set at 12 million euros.

Illarra suffering from stress - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Whilst travelling out with the rest of his new teammates to the United States, the 23-year-old has continued to work separately from his teammates. La Sexta report this week that his continued absence due to muscle overloading is believed by club medics to be caused by a primary symptom of stress.

Jose Mourinho: Real Madrid about politics not football - ESPN FC
Now back at Chelsea, Mourinho said Madrid’s boardroom battle for power affected his club’s chances of adding silverware to the club’s bulging trophy cabinet. "I know Madrid is a special club," Mourinho told ESPN, "Madrid is not just a club. Madrid is politics. Madrid is not about football, Madrid is not about sport, is about many things around.

Valencia president, Amadeo Salvo, has defended his running of the club | Sky Sports
"I have not lied about anything and Valencia have nothing to hide," he said, quoted in AS. "I was surprised by the comments, because I haven't lied, and so it's difficult when people call you a liar. All I have done is defend the interests of Valencia, without any personal interest."

Rayo announce Larrivey deal - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
The Argentine, who spent the last six months playing in Mexico for Atlante, has been confirmed by the Madrid side as having signed for them for 2013-14. Agreeing to a provisional one-year contract, Larrivey, who spent five years in Italian football with Cagliari, has the option in place to renew next summer for a further two seasons.