In the 2019/20 season, FC Barcelona may be greeting from number one in La Liga, but there has been a lot of unrest, conflict and scandal off the pitch. A chronology.
After none other than Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona captain, publicly expressed his displeasure on Instagram that he and his team-mates had felt unjustly pressured in the corona crisis, the news made a big splash in the Spanish media.
Messi had quickly dispelled speculation about his crew’s alleged resistance to salary cuts due to the corona-related plight and sent a clear signal as captain.
According to Messi, the Spanish champion’s players are forgoing 70 percent of their salaries. The Argentinian gave the club’s management a side blow in the post, which the team had apparently hoped would give them more support.
Bartomeu backs Messi
One day later, Messi at least received backing from Barca President Josep Maria Bartomeu, who defended him in the daily newspapers Sport and Mundo Deportivo: “Messi told me from day one that this cutback must be made. By giving up the professionals, the club will save 14 million euros a month, as Bartomeu told Radio Catalunya on Tuesday night.
Nonetheless, the peace and quiet around this top Spanish club is alarmingly disturbed. Especially when you look back over the last few months and see how many Barca stars have publicly criticised the way the Catalan club is currently run.
Stressful season preparation:
The first critical voices were raised when the season had not even started. During the pre-season, Gerard Pique said: “It’s not easy to prepare because we have a pre-season with lots of travel and little training.
Nor did the then coach Ernesto Valverde: “We know our first opponents, Athletic Bilbao, will come to the game better prepared.In the 2019/20 season, FC Barcelona may be greeting from number one in La Liga, but there has been a lot of unrest, conflict and scandal off the pitch. A chronology.
After none other than Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona captain, publicly expressed his displeasure on Instagram that he and his team-mates had felt unjustly pressured in the corona crisis, the news made a big splash in the Spanish media.
Messi had quickly dispelled speculation about his crew’s alleged resistance to salary cuts due to the corona-related plight and sent a clear signal as captain.
According to Messi, the Spanish champion’s players are forgoing 70 percent of their salaries. The Argentinian gave the club’s management a side blow in the post, which the team had apparently hoped would give them more support.
Bartomeu backs Messi
One day later, Messi at least received backing from Barca President Josep Maria Bartomeu, who defended him in the daily newspapers Sport and Mundo Deportivo: “Messi told me from day one that this cutback must be made. By giving up the professionals, the club will save 14 million euros a month, as Bartomeu told Radio Catalunya on Tuesday night.
Nonetheless, the peace and quiet around this top Spanish club is alarmingly disturbed. Especially when you look back over the last few months and see how many Barca stars have publicly criticised the way the Catalan club is currently run.
Stressful season preparation:
The first critical voices were raised when the season had not even started. During the pre-season, Gerard Pique said: “It’s not easy to prepare because we have a pre-season with lots of travel and little training.
Nor did the then coach Ernesto Valverde: “We know our first opponents, Athletic Bilbao, will come to the game better prepared.
