Insinuations that the Barcelona players provoked the fans at Estadio Mestalla during a last-minute 3-2 victory on Saturday were made by all sides, not least from LaLiga president Javier Tebas, which angered Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre and the rest of the Catalan club.
Institutionally, the Blaugrana believe that these words are part of a smear campaign meant to belittle the club's accomplishments, and Mestre fired back with accusations of his own.
"Tebas should take care of his players," Mestre said. "After all, it is thanks to them that he is able to sell LaLiga to China and the United States.
"As president of the league, he should defend the players, not attack them."
The board member also worried over the hostile atmosphere at the Mestalla on Saturday, and warned that the team's safety should be a more pressing concern for Spain's top flight.
"I've been to Valencia a few times, and I've never seen such a hostile atmosphere," he said. "What Tebas should do is make sure there isn't violence at stadiums.
"There needs to be fair play."Luis Enrique insists that his side took the Supercopa de Catalunya seriously and believes good defending denied Paco Alcacer his first goal for the club, while also refusing to comment on the supposed provocations from Neymar at the Estadio Mestalla over the weekend.
The Blaugrana failed to rally from a goal down after falling behind early thanks to a Felipe Caicedo strike in the 11th minute, eventually losing 1-0 to Espanyol at the Nou Estadi in Tarragona on Tuesday evening.
After allowing several of the club's stars to leave on an extended break, the Asturian boss was forced to field a host of Barcelona "B" team players, with somewhat more fringe players like Jeremy Mathieu, Andre Gomes, Denis Suarez, Alcacer and Arda Turan all given a spot in the team's starting XI.
Despite the defeat, the coach believes the Camp Nou outfit played with high intensity throughout the match and insists the lack of space denied the former Valencia forward an opportunity to open his goal-scoring account at the club.
"There is always criticism about the team but we played with great intensity," Luis Enrique pointed out.
"Alcacer was good and was very close to scoring a goal, but it was a game with very little space available."
Meanwhile, Luis Enrique claims that his absence from the LaLiga awards gala was down to the fact that an invitation was not sent and rubbished suggestions his players provoked the Mestalla crowd.
A bottle was hurled in the direction of Neymar after the Blaugrana clinched a last-gasp victory thanks to a Lionel Messi penalty.
"I did not receive invitation LaLiga Gala, it was not sent to me because they knew I would not attend," he continued.
"I did not hear nor listen to suggestions of provocation, considering where these rumours come from."
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