Lionel Messi | Joins Inter Miami (pg4111)

[mancityscot]

went to sleep last night at less than 1000 pages and just logged in to over 1300
Anything concrete expected today?

was thinking the same. Messi > Sleep

 

[razman]

 

[ws01]

I'm sure it can go to the courts of arbitration and they can be forced into accepting an acceptable figure. It would damage Barcelona's image more if they didn't let Messi leave after he's told them again that he wants to leave than asking for a ridiculous fee and keeping him.

After all he's done for that club, I just can't see it happening. They simply have to let him go if he wants to go. He's that big of a sports star.

Problem is I don't think they care about how they look. Just look at the way they're conducting themselves, now and in the past. Shameful. We'd never, ever do that to a legend of our club, let alone a guy who's the best of all time.

They want to keep him there under any condition without any regard to his wishes, and without any respect to his gigantic contribution to the club. They'd suck every inch of football out of him if they were allowed.

 

[The perfect fumble]

We need to step back from all this noise.

If we assume that Messi is genuine in his desire to leave, eventually Barca will have to accept that, if they haven't already. Does Barca want an unhappy Messi on the books? The answer is no, so even if they could force him to stay with legal shenanigans, what would be the point? And if they accept he's leaving why would they create a financial barrier so high that no club could leap it?

 

[BigOscar]

Yeah i can't see us being that daft. The thing that concerns me is i haven't seen us seriously linked to any strikers and if Gabby is going to Barca he's going to need to be replaced.

Or heaven forbid, play the greatest player of all time there, considering it's where he's spent half his ludicrously successful career? Not exactly a disaster if that happens

 

[Dobsy]

If we're open to paying a transfer, Barca will simply ask something obscene from us. They do not want Messi to leave under any condition. I am all for paying him the enormous wages he will command, a sign on fee etc, but not the ridiculous amount that'll be attempted to be extorted.

If he's put in his request to move for free then I'd say he's already had his lawyers go over it in detail, and conclude that he can get away with it legally.

If they were to price him out of a move I'd expect him to invoke the Webster ruling.

They can talk the semantics and legal technicalities til they're blue in the face but none of that will override the obvious fact that they're not honouring the spirit of the clause. Whatever way they dress it up they're breaking their word to him. What was he supposed to do, terminate his contract while they were chasing La Liga and the European Cup? They would have called it a great betrayal.

Given the stage of his career I think he'll consider their behaviour unforgivable.

 

[balotelli's back pocket]

Pretty sure the Webster ruling doesn't apply to Messi guys. He was over 28 when he signed his last contract at Barca, so he can only use the webster rule within two years of signing. He renewed in 2017.

Am I reading the rule wrong?

 

[The Colonel]

The same site that said we didn't have a leg to stand on in the FFP hearing?
Yeah ok.

One thing we’ve learned recently is that these football journalists are absolutely useless and cannot report anything remotely accurate or unbiased particularly in anything off the football pitch. Bunch of twunts.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

I urge any a City fan who sees shite like that on Twitter to respond with the fact he’s over 25 and in the last year of his contract. So he could buy it out! Meaning this magical €700m buy out is not worth what’s its written on and Barça won’t ever see anything like it. They also neglect to point out FIFA publicly sent every team a notice to say contracts (be them incoming or outgoing players) were to be extended to the end of the new season due to COVID, this was to protect clubs not just players. Will FIFA go back on their own memo? Would CAS or the footballing world tell FIFA they are wrong? I highly doubt it. So like I say, when you see that shit respond accordingly.

Agree.

The legal case will be based around 1, how solid was his cancel/get out clause and 2 did the covid arrangement allow the clause to be extended to when he sent his letter.

I would guess that 1 is unknown to all except those that have seen the contract, but having seen it you will be 99% certain of how solid it is. 2 is i would assume 99% in the players favour but assuming he got his dates right - did the letter go in at the right time allowing for an extension to the original dates due to covid.

So to me this should be easy to decipher and there is clearly enough cash in play to cover some top draw lawyers. If he has got it wrong and messed up with dates or anything like that then this will fall down and it will be on him - that is a possibility. But I can't imagine it would get this far without a solid legal basis. Barca are threatening to go legal as it is all they have and its worth a shot in court. Do we brass it out and sign him as a free agent and go to court - or do we offer them some £ms to make that hassle go away.

 

[sir baconface]

Only city would be stupid enough to sell Jesus as part of the deal leaving us with only 1 injury prone striker for what is sure to be the most challenging season in terms of condensed games we have ever had.

Christ.

So why assume we will? I’d give our management more credit than that.