Barcelona have called off their planned pre-season friendly against Ittihad Tanger in Morocco, choosing to prioritise player safety despite walking away from an estimated €4.5 million appearance fee.

The La Liga champions were due to face the Moroccan side in Tangier on August 15, but the club has abandoned the fixture following last week’s events in Ceuta, forcing Hansi Flick to rethink his preparations ahead of the new season.

Security concerns outweigh financial incentive

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s board had approved the Morocco trip during last week’s meeting, with the club viewing it as both a commercial opportunity and another competitive fixture before the start of the La Liga campaign.

However, the situation changed following the migration crisis in Ceuta, where tens of thousands of Moroccan citizens crossed into the Spanish enclave in recent days.

The club has now concluded that the current circumstances are not suitable for travelling to Morocco, even though the decision means forfeiting an appearance fee reportedly worth around €4.5 million.

Flick searching for another pre-season fixture

The cancellation leaves Flick with another gap in Barcelona’s pre-season schedule.

The German coach has been eager to give his squad as many competitive minutes as possible before the league season begins, but preparations have already been disrupted once this summer.

A behind-closed-doors friendly against Preston North End was scrapped earlier this week after the Championship club informed Barcelona that it did not have enough first-team players available, forcing the Catalans to stage an internal training match instead.

Barcelona had also explored the possibility of playing in Nairobi before plans shifted towards Morocco.

Barcelona’s preparations continue despite setbacks

Barcelona have so far beaten CE Europa before drawing with Birmingham City during their pre-season tour of England, where they eventually lost on penalties.

Their remaining schedule includes friendlies against Nottingham Forest and Udinese before hosting Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 19.

Whether another fixture is added before Barcelona begin their La Liga title defence will now depend on discussions between the club and Flick’s coaching staff, with the cancellation in Morocco leaving the Spanish champions short of another valuable match ahead of the new campaign.