Barcelona’s new mascot CAT brings an unwanted losing streak

Barcelona’s unveiling of their new mascot CAT – characterised as a wildcat, an indigenous feline of Catalonia – to celebrate the club’s 125th anniversary has coincided with a troubling run of form, particularly at home. 

Since introducing the mascot, the Catalan giants have suffered consecutive defeats at their once-formidable home ground, leaving fans questioning whether the unveiling has brought more bad luck than celebration.

A look at the streak

The unfortunate streak began with a 1-2 loss to Las Palmas, marking the first home game since the mascot’s debut. 

Following this, Barcelona faced Leganes, another disappointing encounter, ending in a narrow 0-1 defeat. 

To make matters worse, they hosted Atletico Madrid next, a match many hoped would bring redemption. However, that too ended in a 1-2 loss, solidifying a worrying pattern.

Barcelona have struggled since

Barcelona have not won a home game since unveiling the mascot. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

During this period, Barcelona’s struggles extended beyond their home ground. Between the matches against Las Palmas and Atletico Madrid, the team participated in six fixtures across all competitions, both home and away. 

Out of these six matches, they managed to secure victories on only two occasions, defeating Mallorca 5-1 in La Liga and Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in Europe. 

These wins provided brief moments of relief but did little to erase the overarching concerns about their current form.

Additionally, Barcelona’s away game against Real Betis ended in a draw, further highlighting their inability to dominate games during this challenging phase. 

Despite moments of promise, their performances lacked the consistency and dominance that have historically defined the club.

While the mascot’s introduction was meant to symbolise unity and celebration, the timing of its unveiling has, perhaps unintentionally, added to the narrative surrounding the team’s decline in results. 

Whether this is a mere coincidence or a sign of deeper issues within the squad remains to be seen. 

What is clear, however, is that Barcelona need to rediscover their winning ways quickly to restore confidence among their supporters and bring back the fear factor to their home ground.