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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Defector

Enter Our Raffle To Win A Visit And Home-Cooked Meal From Drew Magary

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Luis Paez-Pumar

Mapi Leon of FC Barcelona celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's second goal during the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final 2nd leg match between FC Barcelona and AS Roma at Spotify Camp Nou on March 29, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain.

FC Barcelona v AS Roma: Quarter-Final 2nd Leg – UEFA Women’s Champions League

Soccer

Barcelona Femeni Opened The Floodgates

Emile is a freelance writer, originally from the U.S., now living in Barcelona. He writes about Spanish soccer, namely FC Barcelona and Barça Femeni, on Substack, at <a href="https://barcafemeni.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://barcafemeni.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw14bYDiXeApFrdtb0hLPnFE">La Barça Soc Supporter</a> and appears regularly on <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBarcelonaPod" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/TheBarcelonaPod&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3pyv2PojdPBZ1Gkv3_aN-S">The Barcelona Podcast</a>. His work has previously featured at outlets including The Blizzard, <a href="https://urbanpitch.com/author/eavanessian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urbanpitch.com/author/eavanessian/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0I4zygG7AmIDTzwXlPE2u_">Urban Pitch</a>, The Squall, Barça Blaugranes, and <a href="https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/author/emile-avanessian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/author/emile-avanessian/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753084000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3g0kv0jxafpvL520xVCsVU">Sports Collectors Daily</a>.
Emile also writes about the NBA, at his new outpost League Pass in L’Eixample. His previous work can be found at Forum Blue and Gold and his own site, a living relic of the basketblog era, <a href="https://hardwoodhype.com/the-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hardwoodhype.com/the-work&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1699026753085000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2U949Uf-KXcPwkDPCbW129">Hardwood Hype</a>.

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Emile Avanessian

STADIO OLIMPICO , ROME, ITALY - 2023/03/21: Salma Paralluelo of FCB Barcelona celebrates with teammates after scoring the goal of 0-1 during the Women Uefa Champions League quarter finals football match between AS Roma and FCB Barcelona. Barcelona won 1-0 over AS Roma.

Salma Paralluelo of FCB Barcelona celebrates with teammates

Barcelona Femeni Is Ready To Make The Climb

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Albert Burneko

Barcelona players celebrate Franck Kessié's stoppage-time winner against Real Madrid, Mar. 19 2023

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La Liga

Things Are Looking Up For Barcelona, So Long As You Don’t Look Up

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Ray Ratto

Fans are seen waving flags inside the stadium as they await the unveiling of new FC Barcelona Head Coach Xavi Hernandez during a press conference at Camp Nou on November 08, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Xavi Hernandez Unveiled As New FC Barcelona FC Head Coach

Barcelona Insists There’s Nothing Weird About Paying A Referee $1.3 Million

Investigations Editor. You can reach her at diana@defector.com or, if you prefer protonmail, dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. If security is a concern, download the Signal app and send her a text at 929-251-8187.

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Diana Moskovitz

Player of Brazil Dani Alves signs the national anthem before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 group G match between Brazil and Cameroon at Lusail Stadium on December 2, 2022 in Lusail, Qatar.

Dani Alves

Dani Alves Jailed In Sexual Assault Case

Shakira arrives for the screening of the film "Elvis" during the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 25, 2022.

Shakira

Where Were You When Shakira Ruined Gerard Piqué?

FC Barcelona v Olympique Lyon – UEFA Women’s Champions League Final 2021/22

Alexia Putellas’s Documentary Finds Truth In Disaster

Asisat Oshoala of FC Barcelona celebrates her team's third goal during the UEFA Women's Champions League Group D match between FC Barcelona and SL Benfica at Estadi Johan Cruyff on October 19, 2022 in Sant Joan Despi, Spain.

FC Barcelona v SL Benfica: Group D – UEFA Women’s Champions League

Asisat Oshoala Put An Exclamation Point On Barcelona’s Rout

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Billy Haisley

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid CF celebrates a goal prior to the referee cancelling the goal during the LaLiga Santander match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 16, 2022 in Madrid, Spain.

Real Madrid CF v FC Barcelona – LaLiga Santander

For Real Madrid, The Clásico Was Just Another Game

Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale in action during the UEFA Champions League group C match between FC Barcelona and FC Internazionale at Spotify Camp Nou on October 12, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain.

FC Barcelona v FC Internazionale: Group C – UEFA Champions League

Lautaro Martínez Went Bigger Than Bull Mode On Barcelona

Robert Lewandowski centre-forward of Barcelona and Poland lament a failed occasion during the UEFA Champions League group C match between FC Bayern München and FC Barcelona at Allianz Arena on September 13, 2022 in Munich, Germany.

FC Bayern M√ºnchen v FC Barcelona: Group C – UEFA Champions League

Barcelona’s Latest Moral Victory Is Only As Good As Its Next Actual Victory

Pedri, Barcelona, reacts to some bad stuff happening in the Champions League

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Pedri Did Everything Right, Except For The Most Important Thing

Antoine Griezmann of Atletico de Madrid celebrates after scoring his teams second goal during the UEFA Champions League group B match between Atletico Madrid and FC Porto at Civitas Metropolitano Stadium on September 7, 2022 in Madrid, Spain.

Atletico Madrid v FC Porto: Group B – UEFA Champions League

Antoine Griezmann Is Eating Shit With A Smile

Frenkie de Jong of FC Barcelona takes a selfie with fans during the match between FC Barcelona and the A-League All Stars at Accor Stadium on May 25, 2022 in Sydney, Australia.

FC Barcelona v A-League All Stars

Barcelona Is Threatening Legal Action To Get Out Of A Contract It No Longer Wants

Frenkie de Jong of Netherlands stands for the national anthem prior to the UEFA Nations League League A Group 4 match between Netherlands and Poland at Stadium Feijenoord on June 11, 2022 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Netherlands v Poland: UEFA Nations League – League Path Group 4

He Doesn’t Want To Come To Your Sorry-Ass Club, Gary

FC Barcelona's French forward Ousmane Dembele and FC Barcelona's President Joan Laporta pose during Ousmane Dembele's ceremony at the Joan Gamper training ground in Sant Joan Despi, near Barcelona on July 14, 2022. - French international winger Ousmane Dembele, whose contract with Barcelona expired last month, ended six months of speculation about his future by agreeing to 'rejoin' the Catalan side until 2024, the club announced on July 14, 2022.

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Barcelona Is Back, For Better And For Worse

Jules Kounde of Sevilla crosses the ball during the LaLiga Santander match between Sevilla FC and Club Atletico de Madrid at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on December 18, 2021 in Seville, Spain.

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Window Shopping: Jules Koundé Could Be A Star, In The Right System

Adama Traore of Barcelona, Alfonso Pedraza of Villarreal, both going to the ground in pursuit of the ball

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Thank God Barcelona’s Season Is Over

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Laura Wagner

BARCELONA, SPAIN - APRIL 24: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates with the trophy after winning their match against Pablo Carreño Busta of Spain during Day seven of Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2022 at Real Club De Tenis Barcelona on April 24, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2022 – Day Seven

Tennis

Carlos Alcaraz Is Not A Normal Guy

FC Barcelona v Eintracht Frankfurt: Quarter Final Leg Two – UEFA Europa League

We All Know Who’s Really Responsible For Barcelona’s Europa League Failure

Alexia Putellas of FC Barcelona (obscured) celebrates with teammates after scoring their team's fourth goal during the UEFA Women's Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on March 30, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain.

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid: Quarter Final Second Leg – UEFA Women’s Champions League

Barcelona Showed Off For The Biggest Crowd In Women’s Soccer History

Barcelona's Spanish forward Ferran Torres (R) celebrates with Barcelona's Gabonese midfielder Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (L) and Barcelona's French forward Ousmane Dembele (C) after scoring a goal during the Spanish League football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 20, 2022. (

FBL-LIGA-ESP-REAL MADRID-BARCELONA

A Most Meaningless Clásico Was A Meaningful Ass-Whooping

Barcelona's French forward Ousmane Dembele controls the ball during the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and Elche CF at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on December 18, 2021.

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Wow Would You Look At That, Barcelona Is Still Miserable

Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho (C) shoots to score the opening goal of the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Swansea City at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 26, 2017.

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