Football: Ending the Season with a Title Hattrick

[Consigliere]

Messi confirms that he will remain at Barca this season. Here's his interview with Goal. 

[Pdor]

43 minutes ago, Consigliere said:

 

 

Now that this ridiculous story is over, let's get going with Suarez transfer

[Consigliere]

 

 

[A Horse Named Stranger]

Kinda predictable outcome with he Messi saga.

Barca's legal position was simply more robust. A petty oart of me had hoped for Messi to go on strike to force a move, but that was probably a bit too much to ask for.

[Vaughn]

43 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Kinda predictable outcome with he Messi saga.

Barca's legal position was simply more robust. A petty oart of me had hoped for Messi to go on strike to force a move, but that was probably a bit too much to ask for.

Was their position more robust or did Messi get his legal claims defanged when La Liga predictably sided with their premier club? Once La Liga said they agreed with Barca, he had a two pronged legal battle waiting to get out.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

1 hour ago, Vaughn said:

Was their position more robust or did Messi get his legal claims defanged when La Liga predictably sided with their premier club? Once La Liga said they agreed with Barca, he had a two pronged legal battle waiting to get out.

Nope, I don't think Messi's legal position was particularly strong. It's comparable to the contracts that were due to expire before July first, or where buy out clauses were concerned. Arguably the most prominent example for the latter was Timo Werner, who joined Chelsea, whlie the Red Bull Marketing Department Leipzig was still playing in the CL. And there was a reason why clubs offered short term extensions to players whose contracts were running out (Lallana was one of those players if I am not mistaken). It's all the same baisc problem. When does a players contract expire.

Anyway, just ask yourself what a contract on a very base level looks like.

Start date, expiration date.

Wage. Obligations. Bonuses. And in La Liga the legally required Release Fee clause.

Now Messi's contract had this option to terminate at the end of the season.

I don't think it's reasonable assume, the contract would be worded that vaguely. I think it probably was worded something like that (our resident lawyers may forgive me the rather clumsy wording).

The player has the option to terminate his contract each year. The option has to be activate before the final two weeks of the contract year. The new year of a contract starts on the First of July.

Messi's side's argument was, the date is to be pushed back because of the delayed end of the season. Which never sounded like it was going to fly. Maybe La Liga put the final nail into the coffin for this argument, But Barca pointing out, that Messi had entered another of his contract by July just sounds more convincing. So why should he be allowed to retroactively terminate his contract?

[Iskaral Pust]

9 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Nope, I don't think Messi's legal position was particularly strong. It's comparable to the contracts that were due to expire before July first, or where buy out clauses were concerned. Arguably the most prominent example for the latter was Timo Werner, who joined Chelsea, whlie the Red Bull Marketing Department Leipzig was still playing in the CL. And there was a reason why clubs offered short term extensions to players whose contracts were running out (Lallana was one of those players if I am not mistaken). It's all the same baisc problem. When does a players contract expire.

Anyway, just ask yourself what a contract on a very base level looks like.

Start date, expiration date.

Wage. Obligations. Bonuses. And in La Liga the legally required Release Fee clause.

Now Messi's contract had this option to terminate at the end of the season.

I don't think it's reasonable assume, the contract would be worded that vaguely. I think it probably was worded something like that (our resident lawyers may forgive me the rather clumsy wording).

The player has the option to terminate his contract each year. The option has to be activate before the final two weeks of the contract year. The new year of a contract starts on the First of July.

Messi's side's argument was, the date is to be pushed back because of the delayed end of the season. Which never sounded like it was going to fly. Maybe La Liga put the final nail into the coffin for this argument, But Barca pointing out, that Messi had entered another of his contract by July just sounds more convincing. So why should he be allowed to retroactively terminate his contract?

Yes, all of the reporting on this said the contract had a specified date for the exit clause.  Messi’s legal team unilaterally decided that should be reinterpreted retroactively based on the circumstances of the extended season.  And while that argument has some merit in the spirit of the agreement, it is very, very unlikely to prevail in court (IANAL) over a literal interpretation of the specific wording of the contract.  Especially since that reinterpretation would give a huge financial advantage to Messi at the expense of Barca.  Contracts are specific for a reason, and they rarely get creatively reinterpreted to break those specifics just to give a huge benefit to one party at the expense of another.

And many other footballers and their clubs had already faced up to the specific dates embedded in contracts.  This scenario was not unique to Messi.

He was never going to get some convenient legal out.  It was always a question of whether this was just posturing to pressure the board, or if he would go on strike to force a move at some negotiated fee.  He wasn’t going to get a free transfer that would help him maximize his wages from the next club.

[Consigliere]

Messi will probably leave on a free at the end of the upcoming season. The english version of his interview I posted upthread has omitted some of his comments. He's clearly not pleased at all by being forced to stay but didn't want to take the club to court either. Here's the full transcript for anyone interested:

 

 

Spoiler

Why did it take you time to break your silence and go out to speak?

 

“First because after the defeat in Lisbon it was very hard. We knew they were a very difficult opponent, but not that we were going to end that way, giving such a poor image for the club and for Barcelona. We gave a very bad image. It was wrong, I didn't feel like anything. I wanted time to pass and then go out to clarify everything."

 

Why did you tell Barça that you could go?

 

“I told the club, especially the president, that I wanted to go. I've been telling him all year. I believed it was time to step aside. I believed that the club needed more young people, new people and I thought my time in Barcelona was over, feeling it a lot because I always said that I wanted to finish my career here. It was a very difficult year, I suffered a lot in training, in games and in the dressing room. Everything became very difficult for me and there came a time when I considered looking for new goals, new airs. It did not come because of the Champions League result against Bayern, the decision I had been thinking about for a long time. I told the president and well, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I wanted to go or if I wanted to stay and in the end he did not end up keeping his word. I suffered a lot this year and I thought about taking a step to the side."

 

Have you ever felt lonely?

 

“No… I didn't feel alone. Not alone. Those who are always have been by my side. That is enough for me and strengthens me. But I did feel hurt by things I heard from people, from journalism, from people questioning my Barça and saying things that I think I didn't deserve. It also helped me to see who is who. This world of football that is very difficult and there are many very false people. This that has happened has helped me to recognize many false people that I had in another consideration. It hurt me when my love for this club was questioned. No matter how much I go or stay, my love for Barça will never change."

 

Everything has been heard. The money factor, Messi's friends. What has hurt you the most after 20 years defending the Barça shirt?

 

“A bit of everything, Messi's friends, money… many things that have been said have hurt. I always put the club before anything else. I had the possibility of leaving Barça many times. The money? Every year I was able to leave and earn more money than at Barcelona. I always said that this was my home and it was what I felt and feel. Better than here it is difficult. I felt that I needed a change and new goals, new things.

 

In the end it is very difficult to give up twenty years, a whole life, a family that is in Barcelona, a city ... And that is what weighs more when making a decision ... Because I understand that in the end you stay in Barcelona no? You are still at Barcelona ...

 

“Of course I had a hard time deciding. It does not come from the Bayern result, it comes from many things. I always said that I wanted to end here and I always said that I wanted to stay here. That I wanted a winning project and win titles with the club to continue expanding the legend of Barcelona at the title level. And the truth is that there has been no project or nothing for a long time; they juggle and cover holes as things go by. As I said before, I always thought about the welfare of my family and the club."

 

What happens when you tell your family that you can leave Barcelona?

 

“When I communicated this to my wife and children, it was great drama. The whole family crying, my children did not want to leave Barcelona, nor did they want to change schools. I looked further and I want to compete at the highest level, win titles, compete in the Champions League. You can win or lose it, because it is very difficult, but you have to compete. At least compete it and don't let the Rome , Liverpool thing happen to us, about Lisbon. All that he did led me to think about that decision that I did not carry out. We go back to the beginning ... I thought and we were sure that I was free, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not and now they hold on to the fact that I did not say it before June 10 when it turns out that on June 10 June we were competing for the League in the middle of this disease that altered all the dates. And this is the reason why I am going to continue in the club ... Now I am going to continue in the club because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the 700 million clause, that that is impossible, and then there was another way it was to go to trial. I would never go to trial against Barça because it is the club that I love, that gave me everything since I arrived, it is the club of my life, I have made my life here."

 

Is that what has hurt you the most, that there are those who think you could have hurt Barça? You have been defending the club for years and being the flag of FC Bacelona. Has it hurt you that they doubt your barcelonismo?

 

“It has hurt me a lot that things are published against me and above all, that false things are published. Or that they came to think that I could go to trial against Barça in order to benefit myself. I would never do such a thing. I repeat, I wanted to go and it was entirely my right, because the contract said that I could be released. And it's not 'I'm leaving and that's it'. I was leaving and it cost me a lot. I wanted to go because I thought about living my last years of football happily. The latter years I did not find happiness within the club."

 

That is vital. Be happy. You are a born winner. You are in a team that fights for titles and in recent seasons Barça has not competed in Europe. You are going to continue leading the team at Barça. But something will have to change at Barça, right? Something will have to change at the sporting level, right?

 

“I will continue at Barça and my attitude will not change no matter how much I have wanted to go. I will do my best. I always want to win, I'm competitive and I don't like to lose anything. I always want the best for the club, for the dressing room and for myself. I said it at the time that it was not giving us to win the Champions League. Actually, now I don't know what will happen. There is a new coach and a new idea. That's good, but then we have to see how the team responds and whether or not it will give us to compete. What I can say is that I'm staying and I'm going to give my best."

 

What was the first thing you thought when there were people that you could leave and that you really didn't care about Barcelona? What was the first thing you thought? Feeling of rage?

 

“I felt a lot of pain that my loyalty was doubted, with how grateful I am to this club. I love him and I'm not going to be better here than anywhere. Still I have the right to decide. I was going to look for new goals and new challenges. And tomorrow I could go back, because here in Barcelona I have everything. My son, my family, grew up here and are from here. There was nothing wrong with leaving at that time. I needed it, the club needed it and it was good for everyone "

 

Family is something very important in your life. Your father has had a bad time, your wife too, your children What have they asked you? What did they tell you? They may have said 'dad, this', 'dad the other' ... Did they watch television and ask you something?

 

“All this time it has been hard for everyone. He was clear about what he wanted, he had assumed it and said it. My wife, with all the pain of her soul, supported and accompanied me ... "

 

But the important one in the family is Mateo ...

 

(Laughter) “... Yes, Mateo is still young and he doesn't realize what it means to go somewhere else and make your life for a few years elsewhere. Thiago yes, he is bigger. He heard something on TV and found out something and asked. I didn't want to know anything about being able to leave, having to live in a new school or make new friends. He cried to me and said "let's not go", I repeat that it was hard, really. It was understandable. It happened to me. It is very difficult to make a decision "

 

And to anyone. Of course, it's 20 years, that's a lifetime. You came to Barcelona at the age of your children now. That gets harder. There are two fundamental things that people would like to know ... do you stay at Barça, do you lead the team again? An optimistic message for Barcelona fans for the future?

 

"As usual. I am going to give my best, we will do my best to fight for all the objectives and hopefully I can dedicate myself to the people who have had a bad time. I had a bad time this year, but it is hypocritical to say that if you compare it with people who have really had a bad time with the virus, with people who have lost family members and who have lost many things. Hopefully I can give my best and dedicate victories to all those people who accompany us from above and their families, to be able to dedicate the best to those people who are having a hard time and that we can overcome once and for all we can overcome this virus and return to The normality"

"The burofax was to make official that I wanted to go, because the president did not want to play ball"

 

The famous burofax. There has been a lot of talk that Messi is poorly advised and poorly advised by the decision to communicate that you wanted to leave by burofax. Why did you decide to send that burofax? What did you want to demonstrate? What was your position?

 

“The burofax was to make it official in some way. Throughout the year I had been telling the president that I wanted to leave, that the time had come to seek a new direction in my career. He told me all the time: 'We'll talk, no, this and that,' but nothing. To put it in some way, the president did not play ball with what he was saying. Sending the burofax was making it official that I wanted to go and that I was free and the optional year I was not going to use it and I wanted to go. It was not to make a mess, or to go against the club, but the way to make it official because my decision had been made ... "

 

If you hadn't sent the burofax, maybe everything would have been forgotten and no one would have listened to you ...

 

"Clear. If I don't send the burofax, it's like nothing happens, I have the optional year I had and the year continued. What they say is that I did not say it before June 10, but I repeat, we were in the middle of all the competitions and it was not the moment. But apart from that, the president always told me 'when the season is over, you decide if you stay or leave', he never set a date, and well, it was simply to make the club official that he was not following, but not to get into a fight because I did not want to fight with the club ”.

 

[polishgenius]

In more important news, Manchester United's third kit has been leaked and it is the worst I've ever seen. Genuinely hard too look at.

 

[Hereward]

18 minutes ago, polishgenius said:

In more important news, Manchester United's third kit has been leaked and it is the worst I've ever seen. Genuinely hard too look at.

 

The 1980s want a word. Coventry are at the front of the queue.

 

[Derfel Cadarn]

Actor Martin Compston unimpressed with Scotland’s performance v Israel

 

 

[polishgenius]

12 hours ago, Hereward said:

The 1980s want a word. Coventry are at the front of the queue.

 

There have been many kits down the years that made your eyes hurt in a figurative, that is a terrible colour clash sort of way, but this is the first I've seen based on a pattern that is designed to make your eyes literally hurt.,

[Iskaral Pust]

5 hours ago, polishgenius said:

There have been many kits down the years that made your eyes hurt in a figurative, that is a terrible colour clash sort of way, but this is the first I've seen based on a pattern that is designed to make your eyes literally hurt.,

It seems like the third kit has become an opportunity to make something that appeals to the fashion sense of pre-teens rather than anything intended for a football match, e.g. Liverpool by Nike is a weird aquamarine camouflage, but at least it’s not a blood-spattered zebra.  I look at that United shirt and in my head I hear Chris Rock voicing Marty from Madagascar.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

6 hours ago, polishgenius said:

There have been many kits down the years that made your eyes hurt in a figurative, that is a terrible colour clash sort of way, but this is the first I've seen based on a pattern that is designed to make your eyes literally hurt.,

They should've used it during the Mourinho years then. I mean, it's better than the Nicole Brown Simpson Evidence Jersey Arsenal picked, isn't it?

[Lykos]

7 hours ago, polishgenius said:

There have been many kits down the years that made your eyes hurt in a figurative, that is a terrible colour clash sort of way, but this is the first I've seen based on a pattern that is designed to make your eyes literally hurt.,

I think it''s dazzling!

48 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

They should've used it during the Mourinho years then. I mean, it's better than the Nicole Brown Simpson Evidence Jersey Arsenal picked, isn't it?

The opposing team would have never known which way the bus was parked.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Iceland choked.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

So Chelsky has now claimed (nearly) all the big prizes in this transfer window. I am really curious what they will do next year. They are still short a goalkeeper tho, unless Kepa turns things around in a big way.

[Heartofice]

Such a weird transfer window for Chelsea. On the face of it they’ve gone all fantasy manager and just gotten all the hottest players going .. but at the same time it all feels really unbalanced.

They didn’t really strengthen their defence to any great extent ( don’t think Chilwell is that level and an aging centre back in a new league isn’t the answer, plus no new keeper) and their new exciting attackers might well mean their exciting younger players from last year might need to leave. 

[A Horse Named Stranger]

I don't think their defense is really that bad. I mean Rüdiger and Christensen are good centerbacks. Conte managed to concede very few goals with them. And with Rüdiger I reiterate what I said before, there's still quite a bit of potential there, with the right coaching he can be an absolute elite defender.

Kepa has thus far just turned out to be a total transfer bust.

[Wilbur]

I don't envy Koeman going in to Barcelona with a disillusioned Messi in the squad.

Team morale will be terrible, and big players with positive attitudes toward high-energy practices (especially Suarez, Rakitic) won't be around to lift the spirits.  Grim stuff.