Barcelona's directors decided to report Jose Mourinho to UEFA after the Real Madrid coach hit out at the club and its coach, Pep Guardiola, following the Catalan team's 2-0 victory in the Champions League semifinals.
Barcelona on Thursday cited comments made by Mourinho in his news conference after Wednesday's match, when the Portuguese coach said Guardiola should feel ''ashamed'' if his team goes on to win the trophy and questioned whether the club's sponsorship deal with UNICEF earned it special treatment from European football's governing body.
''It is unacceptable that anyone puts into question our titles or our links with UNICEF,'' Barcelona spokesman Antoni Freixa said. ''Our intention is not to fan the flames but rather to put them out because we understand that managers should talk only about football and not about things that can incite violence.''
Barcelona's decision followed UEFA's earlier announcement that it was opening a disciplinary procedure against Mourinho for his comments.
Real Madrid countered later on Thursday by announcing it was also reporting Barcelona to UEFA for alleged ''unsportsmanlike behavior.'' The Spanish club said Barcelona players ''simulated aggressions'' that led to the ''unjust sending off'' of Madrid defender Pepe, who was shown a red card for a studs-first challenge on Barcelona defender Dani Alves.
TV replays showed Barcelona players Sergio Busquets and Pedro Rodriguez looking to provoke bookings by feigning injury.
Lionel Messi scored both goals in Barcelona's first-leg win after Pepe was sent off just after the hour mark.
Madrid stated its ''total support'' for Mourinho, who, according to the club, was ''exercising his right to free expression.''
Mourinho was sent off for protesting the red card, and after the game suggested UEFA was actively helping Barcelona.
''I don't know if it's the UNICEF publicity or the friendship of (Angel) Villar at UEFA, where he is vice president. I don't know if it's because they are so nice, but they have got great power. The rest of us have no chance.''
Mourinho also referenced the 2009 Champions League semifinal between Barcelona and Chelsea, which Barcelona won on away goals after Chelsea felt it had been denied several penalties at Stamford Bridge.
''Josep Guardiola is a fantastic football coach, but he has won one Champions League which would embarrass me after the scandalous goings-on at Stamford Bridge, and this year if he wins it again it will be after the scandalous goings-on at the Bernabeu,'' Mourinho said.
Freixa said that ''(Barcelona) wants to defend the history, prestige and honor of our club members, fans, players, coaches and directors who thanks to their work and effort won the 2009 Champions League.''
On Wednesday night, Pepe's red card left a Mourinho-coached team with 10 men against Barcelona for the fifth straight game, stretching to Inter Milan's semifinal return-leg last season.
Guardiola refused to comment on Mourinho's rants following the game, a day after the Barcelona coach launched a tirade of expletives against his Madrid counterpart following previous taunts.
Madrid-based newspapers Marca and AS both picked up Mourinho's most used words of the post-match news conference - ''Why?'' - for their front covers on Thursday, while Barcelona-based El Mundo Deportivo and Sport focused on Messi's heroics with the latter playing off one of Guardiola's expletives to toast the Argentine's performance.
''It's always the same - even before the sending-off they didn't attack since they know they are at home and they can still go to the Camp Nou,'' Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said. ''In the end, when you play with fire you end up getting burned and that's what happened with Real Madrid. If it happens once you can say it's by chance but it's not the first time it happens.''
The classic Spanish rivals play the second leg on Tuesday in what will be the fourth meeting between them in 18 days. Tensions have slowly been raised with each game and the red card for Pepe increased them further.
''Whenever you play against Barca, whenever you touch them, they are on the floor crying like a baby,'' Madrid striker Emmanuel Adebayor said. ''Barcelona is a fantastic club, they play fantastic football, but they have to stop that.''
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AP Sports Writer Paul Logothetis in Madrid contributed to this report.
