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Gerard Piqué criticized Barcelona for the way they almost let go of Lionel Messi this summer amid a social media scandal that has seen the LaLiga club allegedly attack its own players.
The club has been shaken by reports of the I3 Ventures scandal, which has allegedly seen Barcelona president Jaume Masferrer lead a social media project alongside the LaLiga club to damage the reputations of figures like Piqué, Messi and the wife of the Argentine star.
Piqué revealed that he faced the president of Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu, over the scandal, but is still surprised to see that figures like Masferrer are still working at the club.
Piqué told La Vanguardia, quoted by Marca: ‘I don’t want to get on badly with anyone but there have been moments (like) the issue with social networks.
“As a Barça player, I see that my club has spent money, money that they now ask us to criticize. It is no longer just outsiders with a longstanding relationship with the club, but also active players, and that is outrageous.
I asked him for explanations and what he (Bartomeu) told me was: “Gerard, I didn’t know.” And I believed it.
“So you see that, in future actions, the person in charge of hiring these services continues to work at the club.”
It’s been a challenging few months for Barcelona, who saw the talisman Messi shock the world by submitting a transfer request to the LaLiga club via burofax in August.
The Barcelona captain cited the poor leadership of the Barcelona board as one of the many reasons he wanted to leave the Camp Nou.
While the Argentine forward ultimately decided to stay in Barcelona, Spanish defender Piqué, who passed through the club’s La Masia academy alongside Messi, revealed that he had a conversation with the 33-year-old about his future.
Piqué added: ‘As president I would have acted differently. I asked Leo to stay.
“I didn’t have many dealings with him those days because I thought it was a very personal decision. I just said, “Leo, it’s a year and then new people will come.”
I was wondering: “How can it be that the best player in history, who we have had the incredible luck to enjoy, gets up one day and sends a burofax because he feels that they are not listening?” Everything is too shocking. What’s going on?
Leo deserves everything. The new stadium and its sponsor should have his name (on it). ‘
In an interview with Goal in September, Messi publicly criticized President Bartomeu for failed promises made about the team. The 57-year-old Barça boss has since announced that he will not run for re-election in 2021.
Although Piqué himself has been in his own off-court controversy recently when he signed a new contract at the club with a 50 percent pay cut.
According to reports in Spain, Bartomeu wants to cut 25 percent of the club’s payroll in his final months as president to help Barcelona overcome the financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Several Barcelona players signed a letter saying that they will not negotiate with the current board on a new contract, although Piqué went ahead and signed the new four-year contract until 2024.
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Clement Lenglet and Frenkie De Jong also signed long-term deals this week.
Piqué, who is one of the four Barcelona captains, said that the dressing room is still together and that there are no problems with his new contract.
The 33-year-old added: ‘As captain I defended the interests of the team and made the decision to sign him. And here we are a united wardrobe.
Then they said the wardrobe was broken and I don’t know why. They said it when many players were with their national teams. In a personal capacity, each player is free to accept the club’s proposal on a voluntary basis.
‘The club told me and other players that due to the pandemic the club is going to suffer a lot financially and in that situation Barça is worse off than anyone else.
‘Barça has given me everything, so I put myself at their disposal. They told me that all the money that I can give this year will be collected in the future. We did the numbers and I proposed an amount. ‘
Piqué first joined the club when he was 10 years old, though he left as a teenager to join Manchester United in 2004.
After four years in the Premier League, the defender rejoined Barcelona in 2008 and is approaching 550 appearances for the Spanish club.
Piqué has won eight LaLiga titles and three Champions League trophies during his career with the Catalans.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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