Barcelona Handball Vows to Win Champions League by Never Leaving the Court Again
After beating Dinamo 36-22, Barcelona's Luis Frade announced the team will simply remain on the court until the Champions League trophy is handed over, converting the Sala Polivalentă into a permanent residence.
FC Barcelona's handball squad has announced it will not leave the court at Sala Polivalentă until the EHF Champions League trophy is physically placed in its hands, following a 36-22 demolition of Dinamo Bucharest. The team has already ordered mattresses, a portable kitchen and a full-sized goal for the lobby.
«We have decided that leaving the court is what weak teams do,» said pivot Luis Frade, standing beside a pile of sleeping bags. «So we will stay here. We will eat here. We will train here. When Montpellier arrives next Thursday, we will simply be here already, which saves everyone the bus ride.»
The club has begun installing a permanent dressing room in the arena's basement, complete with a laundry line strung between the goalposts. Local authorities have rerouted traffic around the building after Barcelona players began jogging laps through the parking lot at 3 a.m. to maintain fitness.
Dinamo officials, who now share the arena with their opponents, have been forced to schedule their own training sessions around Barcelona's sleeping hours. «They are very polite about it,» said one Dinamo staffer. «They just never go home.»
By next week, Barcelona plans to have converted the scoreboard into a countdown clock to the final, which will now be played on this same court regardless of where the EHF schedules it.
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