Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has confirmed that winger Raphinha and defender Ronald Araujo will not be available for the team’s rescheduled LaLiga match against Osasuna on Thursday.
The match was initially postponed on March 8 following the death of a Barcelona club doctor. However, the club’s appeal against playing it this week was unsuccessful.
Flick explained that both players, who participated in South American World Cup qualifiers, need time to recover from their long flights back to Spain.
“They will not play, they are not in the team, they have a long flight and it’s not the best way, because they have to recover,” Flick said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Raphinha featured in Brazil’s 4-1 defeat to Argentina, while Araujo remained on the bench as Uruguay played a goalless draw against Bolivia.
The Barcelona coach expressed frustration over the scheduling, especially with another league match against Leganes set for late on Saturday, April 12—just days before their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Borussia Dortmund on April 15.
“When playing away, always at nine, we arrive late back in the night, it’s to do with recovery for the players,” Flick noted. “I am not happy with this. When you see other leagues with Champions League teams, it’s different to here.”
Despite these challenges, Flick remains confident that his team can secure a victory against Osasuna.
“Always no excuses, we go for it,” he stated. “Tomorrow we will go for it, I think we have big, big quality in this team. We can win against everyone, even if some players are not in the team… we’re looking forward and are very positive.”
Flick also confirmed that defender Iñigo Martínez will start the match despite withdrawing from Spain’s national team squad, while young defender Pau Cubarsí, who picked up a knock while on duty with La Roja, will be fit enough for the bench.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")