"The situation has become serious"

With just two weeks to go until Spain reconvenes for its European Championship qualifying match against Liechtenstein, the simmering tension from the year's six clásicos between Real Madrid and Barcelona has spilled over once more into national team affairs.

In the lead-up to Spain's friendly defeat to Italy in Bari, both Iker Casillas and Vicente del Bosque were obliged to discuss peripheral issues and a disjointed team fell 2-1 to the rejuvenated Azzurri, which is playing with some of its former verve under its post-World Cup fiasco coach, Cesar Prandelli. What concerns Del Bosque, and his players, is the possibility that club rancor could infest Spain's camp at next summer's European Championships.

"If there wasn't a problem, it wouldn't have been talked about as much," conceded Del Bosque in Bari. "But I find it impossible that Casillas and Xavi, Iniesta and Alonso or Albiol and Piqué don't get along."

After the final moments of the Supercup second leg descended into scenes of chaos, with players and staff from both benches involved in an on-field scuffle, the usual conciliatory voices were largely absent in the aftermath. Casillas, who increasingly toes the party line theatrically drawn in the sand by his club coach, José Mourinho, accused Spain teammate Cesc Fàbregas of feigning injury after he was scythed down by Marcelo. For Barça, Xavi and Piqué were swift to accuse Mourinho of having a corrosive effect on Spanish soccer.

The latest voice to join the cacophony of preoccupation is that of Santi Cazorla, back in the Spain first team after missing the World Cup following an injury-ravaged season with Villarreal. "The situation has become serious," the European Championship winner said. "As much as you try to avoid it, these things affect relationships. There is nothing we can do but hope the situation resolves itself as swiftly as possible [...] If these problems persist they could start to have an influence and this could be damaging to the group," the now Málaga player said.

In the short term, Spain, and Del Bosque, has little to worry about. Liechtenstein is hardly a powerful opponent and a win in Logroño on September 6 will be enough to secure Spain's place at the finals. With only one clásico left to play this year- scheduled for the weekend of December 10 and 11 but subject to change as Barcelona is slated to play in the Club World Cup in Japan at the same time - and another in April, Del Bosque will happier than most if a repeat of last season's clásico series with King's Cup and Champions League games can be avoided at the business end of this campaign.

In the meantime, Mourinho seems reluctant to offer an institutional olive branch. The Portuguese, who has been silent since a post-match press conference after the Supercup in which he pointedly refused to apologize for poking Barça assistant coach Tito Vilanova in the eye during the mêlée, dusted off his personal spokesman, Eladio Paramés, to reiterate his uncontrite stance.

"José will not apologize," Paramés told sports daily As. He is only interested in doing his job and winning as many titles as possible. José works for the biggest club in Spain, and at the same time the most hated. And he will defend it to the death."

The two sides have rarely been friendly, but since Mourinho landed in Madrid relations have deteriorated to the point that Barça president Sandro Rosell threatened to break institutional relations with Real.

With a hardcore of players hell-bent on dethroning Barcelona at any cost - into which Casillas has apparently been indoctrinated - it promises to be a long season for those removed from the tribal feud but with interest in the national team. Casillas apparently telephoned his comrades in the captaincy of Spain, Xavi and Puyol, to calm the turbulent waters. With Mourinho unrepentant though, it may be some time before the river of ire passes under the bridge.