Eto`o comes under fire for Real Madrid insults (16.05.2005)
MADRID - Barcelona striker Samuel Eto`o has been widely criticised for making insulting comments about his former club Real Madrid during Barca`s title celebrations.
The 24-year-old Cameroon international, who is the leading scorer in the Primera Liga, chanted "Madrid, cabron, saluda al campeon" (Madrid, bastards, hail the champions) into the microphone during a speech at the Nou Camp on Sunday.
Many of the 100,000 fans at the stadium to celebrate the club`s first league title in six years joined in the chorus.
"This character is a fantastic player, but he leaves a lot to be desired as a person," president of the federation of Real Madrid fan clubs, Fermin Calero, was quoted as saying on the Real Madrid website.
"He has forgotten that it was Real Madrid that first allowed him to escape hunger and with these unfortunate
declarations the only thing he has done is to encourage violence."
Eto`o is scheduled to attend a news conference at the Nou Camp at 1530 GMT on Monday to apologise for the incident.
Real Madrid said they would be making no comment about Eto`o`s behaviour. Real centre back Francisco Pavon said the player had got carried away.
"Maybe it was the heat of the moment, but I don`t think you need to insult anybody when celebrating a title that Barcelona thoroughly deserved to win."
Spanish television compared Eto`o`s comments to those made by Luis Figo when he celebrated Barcelona`s last title triumph in 1999.
The Portuguese winger shouted "Blancos, llorones, felicitad a los campeones" (Real Madrid, cry babies, hail the champions) from a balcony to celebrating crowds, just a year before signing for Real.
