Barcelona have condemned the actions of some supporters after Ronald Koeman was targeted by fans expressing their displeasure towards the manager as he left the Nou Camp following their 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid.
A number of supporters could be seen hitting Koeman's car and angrily reacting to their latest loss as the 58-year-old tried to drive away from the stadium. The result left his side ninth in La Liga, five points behind Real, with Koeman's position coming under increasing scrutiny. Barcelona have denounced the "regrettable events" outside the ground and say disciplinary action will follow for those supporters involved.
A statement from the club read: "FC Barcelona publicly condemns the violent and contemptuous actions that our coach has experienced at the exit of Camp Nou. "The club will take security and disciplinary measures to ensure that such regrettable events do not happen again."
Former Barca defender Koeman began his tenure as manager in August last year and the Dutchman guided them to third in La Liga last season. In June, club president Joan Laporta confirmed he would stay on for the 2021/22 campaign. Despite recent wins over Levante and Valencia, two 3-0 losses at home to Bayern Munich and away to Benfica in the Champions League plus a 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid earlier this month has seen the pressure mount on Koeman at the start of this season.
He is the first Barca manager to have lost three Clasico games in a row in over 85 years. While the return of Ansu Fati from a long-term injury and the emergence of youngsters such as Gavi and Pedri have boosted Barca, the high-profile summer departures of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann have also not helped his cause.
Sergio Aguero scored his first goal for Barca on Sunday with a consolation in the seventh minute of second-half injury time after David Alaba and Lucas Vazquez had given Carlo Ancelotti's team a 2-0 lead. Alaba - making his Clasico debut - opened the scoring after 32 minutes with a thumping long-range strike, before Vazquez doubled the visitors' lead in second-half stoppage time.
Real deserved their half-time lead, although Gerard Pique was inches away from heading the hosts level from a corner 10 minutes before the break, with Barcelona manager Koeman then deciding to introduce former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho at the interval. The second period was cagey, with Madrid largely playing on the counter as they went in search of a second goal, which the outstretched Karim Benzema very nearly provided with 18 minutes to go.
Koeman then threw on another ex-Premier League player in Aguero, but it was Real who got the crucial next goal in injury time after another pacey break involving substitute Marco Asensio, whose low shot across the goal was only partially kept out by Marc-Andre ter Stegen at full stretch, allowing Vasquez a simple tap in at the far post.