Barca players mutiny against the board
Things are taking a turn towards the worst in Barcelona as the players are distancing itself from the management of the board.
The photos that appeared yesterday with Barcelona players enjoying time with their former colleague Neymar might have deeper implications than previously imagined.
“Those photos of the players, embracing Neymar came literally about an hour after Barcelona had announced that they were going to sue Neymar,” journalist Sid Lowe said while talking to ESPN.
“You immediately have this show of strength, from the players – on Neymar’s side, in the context of Barcelona failing, and repeatedly failing to get the players they are trying to get in order to replace him,” Lowe added.
The pictures were a signal to the Barcelona board that the players were in this together. Barcelona’s governance in recent years have been shambolic. The club is in chaos with court cases and the academy system that brought players to the first team like Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez and Gerard Pique is failing.
Lionel Messi has not signed his contract yet. He can leave Barcelona for free in January if he doesn’t renew.
In two different interviews however, Barca had announced that Leo Messi had signed a new deal. But they admitted later on that Messi has not signed his new deal.
In July, Bartomeu confirmed that Messi had already signed his new contract... https://t.co/iOFM7zCZUC yikes pic.twitter.com/Vw59YnenLy AS English (@English_AS) August 23, 2017
Barcelona essentially lied to their fans and shareholders about their biggest asset being re-signed. A move that is incomprehensibly problematic.
Show of Strength
Yesterday the players participated in a team bonding lunch, an event that was also attended by coach Ernesto Valverde.
While the occasion was to celebrate the birthday of Neymar’s son David Luca but Barcelona players discussed the team’s immediate future in this meeting, where none of the Barcelona board members were present.
The squad members are apparently unhappy with how the team is faring and with the way the club is dealing in the transfer market.
Increasingly, it is looks like that the players are having to step in to identify threats to the club and rectify bad management.
According to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, the management is furious at how the players sided with Neymar.
Barcelona have put inconsiderate pressure on Liverpool for the signing of Philippe Coutinho. Desperate to spend the money they received from Neymar’s sale – they bid for Coutinho the fourth time yesterday after having been given a hard ‘no’ by Liverpool on the past three occasions.
Messi’s contract
Why Leo Messi hasn’t signed his contract yet is a topic of massive interest. Maybe the answer lies in the censure motion being arranged to oust Bartomeu and his board. Messi could very well be waiting for a change himself.
“Messi is probably thinking, ‘Lets see what happens with that censure motion, lets see if the presidential situation changes. Because I don’t necessarily want to tie myself down to a situation that is already bad' – and here is the big risk – it still could get worse,” concluded Sid Lowe while talking to ESPN on the topic of Barcelona’s mess in the transfer market.
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