Barca hit with travel tempest

BARCELONA - Barcelona's barnstorming tour was overshadowed by controversy on Thursday after it emerged that the men's team flew business class to the United States while the women's team was relegated to economy class.

The Spanish giant posted photos and videos of the two teams boarding the Portland-bound plane together, but photos posted by the female players online showed they were flying in economy, sparking an outcry on social media after it was noticed.

"There was one photo of the team captains in business class before the men took their seats in business class and the women returned to their economy seats," wrote one much discussed fan-run account which tweeted extensively about the topic, @Barca-Women.