Former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Xavi has hit out at Real Madrid for failing to give departing captain Iker Casillas a fitting send-off before his switch to Porto. A tearful Casillas appeared alone in the Bernabeu stadium press room on Sunday, though after much criticism from media and the fans the club responded by organising an official presentation yesterday. Xavi, who received a glittering farewell ceremony when he left Barcelona to join Qatari side Al Sadd last season, told Spanish paper La Vanguardia: “It cannot be that maturing Spanish athletes are not shown sufficient respect, that people neglect to value everything they have done for their sport and instead focus on their defects, sometimes with malicious intent.”