Messi COULD have stayed with Barca, vice-president admits
Robin Bairner
- 17 Sept 2021 12:15 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona have admitted that Lionel Messi could have stayed with the club but that the were unwilling to make the sacrifice required to keep the Argentine at the club.
Messi left in the summer to sign for Paris Saint-Germain when it became clear that Barcelona’s financial structure would no longer supporter his wages.
However, Barca have admitted that they did have the possibility of raising the funds that could have kept him at the club. They were not, however, willing to do a pact that would have jeopardised their long-term strategy.
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Eduard Romeu, the club’s vice-president explained the situation to COPE, pointing his finger firmly towards La Liga president Javier Tebas as the reason why Messi is no longer with Barcelona.
“In the end, Mr Tebas did our work for Messi,” he said before referencing the deal with CVC that La Liga concluded but Barcelona and Real Madrid refused to be a part of. “We had a problem called Financial Fair Play due to the situation we inherited, but if we signed a single document it could have been done.
“In the end, it was not possible because the deal was something we could not do. It compromised the solvency of the club and was a 50-year loan for a huge price. The operation was ruinous.
We would have loved Messi to continue here, but with those terms it was not possible. There is nobody above the club
- Eduard Romeu“We would have loved Messi to continue here, but with those terms it was not possible. There is nobody above the club.”
Romeu did admit, however, that ultimately the situation was one of Barcelona’s own making – albeit the previous board.
“Obviously the situation is the responsibility of the club, but we inherited a catastrophic situation and there are consequences,” he lamented.
Barcelona are already under pressure this season following a thumping 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.
