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Barcelona snubbed awards to protest La Liga chief Javier Tebas honour

Barcelona made the decision to shun the Premios Marca event in Madrid on Monday in protest for La Liga president Javier Tebas being handed the Puerta-Jarque Fair Play Award.

The Catalan club's relationship with Tebas has deteriorated in the last few weeks after comments he made following the bottle throwing incident which marred the end of their 3-2 win over Valencia at Mestalla.

Tebas suggested Barca's players provoked the home supporters and implied that Neymar and Luis Suarez faked contact and "fell like bowling pins." He also said he would be embarrassed to go home to his children if he had acted that way.

"On Friday, the club had the intention of sending a representative to the event, but after receiving knowledge that they were going to give the Fair Play Award to Javier Tebas, obviously we couldn't go," club spokesman Josep Vives said.

"Keeping in mind events of the last few weeks between the club and the La Liga president, we think it's an unacceptable decision [to give him the award]. For that reason, we decided not to send anyone."

Following Tebas' comments last month, Barca asked the Administrative Court of Sport (TAS) to take action against the LFP chief.

A statement released at the time read: "FC Barcelona publicly condemns Mr. Tebas as the president of the LFP and the club hereby fully withdraws its confidence in him from this moment forth."

The club's president Josep Maria Bartomeu added: "The declarations made by Tebas are irresponsible and unbecoming of a sports executive."

Luis Suarez was due to collect the Pichichi Trophy at the event for being the top scorer in La Liga last season, but was unable to attend due to international commitments anyway. He was handed the trophy by Marca director Juan Ignacio Gallardo in Barcelona last week instead.

As well as Tebas and Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jan Oblak and Diego Simeone were among the other winners on the night.