BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona has been able to focus on preparing for its Champions League return match against Benfica after the death of team doctor Carles Miñarro, coach Hansi Flick said on Monday.
Miñarro died on Saturday a few hours before Barcelona's Spanish league match against Osasuna, which was postponed.
Flick said Miñarro played a big part in the team's success and the players were in mourning.
“It's a huge loss,” Flick said the day before the last-16 home game against Benfica.
“Carles was a really great person, but also a great doctor. This combination was unbelievable for the club and for the team. We will miss him. I think he will support us from above, up there. We want to play for him now. In this situation it's very important that we win. It's our job to continue.”
The German coach said he felt his players were able to fully focus on training.
“It’s a very difficult situation, but we want to do the right thing," Flick said. "The team is highly focused and getting over the situation. The best way to do that is by winning.”
Barcelona will face Benfica after winning 1-0 in Lisbon despite playing most of the match with 10 men because of a red card to defender Pau Cubarsí.
There was a moment of silence to honor Miñarro before the team's training on Sunday, and ahead of the news conference on Monday. A moment of silence is also expected ahead of Tuesday's game in Montjuic.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Empty stands and field seen after the cancellation of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Osasuna, at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Empty stands and field seen after the cancellation of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Osasuna, at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick gestures during the Champions League round of 16 first leg soccer match between SL Benfica and FC Barcelona at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were evacuated overnight from the official governor’s residence after someone set fire to the building, police said Sunday.
No one was injured and the fire was extinguished, according to authorities.
The fire broke out overnight on the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover, which Shapiro and his family had celebrated at the governor's official residence in the state capital of Harrisburg. Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement that, while the investigation was ongoing, they were “prepared to say at this time that this was an act of arson.”
State police gave no other details about the cause of the fire at the riverfront mansion but said it caused a “significant amount of damage” to a portion of the residence. Shapiro and his family had been in a different part of the residence, police said.
In a statement, Shapiro, viewed as a potential White House contender for the Democratic Party in 2028, said he and his family woke up at about 2 a.m. to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after the fire broke out.
The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was called to the residence and, while they worked to put out the fire, police evacuated Shapiro and his family from the residence safely, Shapiro said.
“Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” Shapiro said in a statement.
On Sunday, fire damage was visible on the residence's south side, primarily to a large room often used for entertaining crowds and art displays. There was still a police presence early Sunday afternoon as yellow tape cordoned off an alleyway and an officer led a dog outside a iron security fence.
Shapiro splits his time between the mansion that has housed governors since it was built in the 1960s and a home in Abington, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east. He posted a picture on social media Saturday of the family's Passover Seder table at the residence.
State police are leading the investigation. The agency offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
The windows and door is damaged from an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Investigators are on the scene after an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
The windows and door is damaged from an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
FILE - Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers his budget address for the 2025-26 fiscal year to a joint session of the state House and Senate at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
