Barcelona released a statement on its social media channels apologizing for the streaming issues during the team’s first preseason match against Vissel Kobe in Japan. “We were hit by a massive cyberattack,” the club explained in its post.
Fans who had paid for access to the exclusive streaming service were quick to voice their complaints after being unable to watch the game. However, an official response from the club only came during the second half of the match. At that point, Barcelona decided to open up the broadcast for free via YouTube.
All eyes now turn to Barça’s upcoming fixtures under Hansi Flick, with two more preseason games set to be played in South Korea—against Seoul on Thursday and Daegu on August 4. Once back in Spain, the final tune-up for the season will be against Como on August 10 in the Joan Gamper Trophy.
Barcelona’s official statement
FC Barcelona announced that its streaming platforms were subjected to a massive cyberattack from various websites attempting to intercept the live signal of the preseason match against Vissel Kobe. Due to the flood of requests, the system activated its built-in security protocols, which inadvertently disrupted the broadcast via the club’s website and the Culers app. The decision was made to stream the match openly on YouTube to ensure fans could still watch the game. The club apologized for the inconvenience and will contact affected users directly.
Barcelona opens preseason with a win
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Barça defeated Vissel Kobe 3–1 in their first preseason match, with goals from Eric Garcia, debutant Roony Bardghji, and youngster Dro Fernández. Taisei Miyashiro scored the equalizer for the Japanese side. The match also saw Lamine Yamal wear the iconic No. 10 jersey for the first time and marked the debut of Marcus Rashford in a Barcelona shirt.
