Lionel Messi: Barcelona forward’s father says 700 million euro release clause “not applicable” | Football news

Jorge Messi says that the termination clause of 700 million euros “is not applicable at all”; The League responds that the termination clause is “absolutely valid”

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Gary Cotterill of Sky Sports News says the statement issued by Lionel Messi amounts to a ‘declaration of war’ on Barcelona

Lionel Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, insists that Barcelona’s € 700 million release clause “does not apply at all” and that his son should be able to leave the club for free.

However, La Liga issued a statement shortly after Messi’s statement, reiterating its position that the clause must be paid in full if Messi is allowed to leave the club.

The 33-year-old informed Barça of his wish to leave via an official note last week and did not show up for the team’s first five days of pre-season training with new boss Ronald Koeman.

This led to his father and his agent Jorge flying to Spain this week to talk with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and the club’s hierarchy about a possible exit.

On Sunday, La Liga dashed Messi’s hopes of leaving Barcelona in a free transfer by stating that his € 700 million buyout clause will have to be paid if he wants to leave the Camp Nou.

However, in response to that original statement from La Liga, Jorge Messi says that the clause “is not applicable at all,” and issued a statement on Friday that said:

Jorge Horacio Messi, as representative of the professional soccer player Lionel Andrés Messi, in response to the statement published on August 30, 2020 by the National Professional Football League on the player’s contractual situation, and in addition to his evident partiality for the role that this represents. institution in defense of the interests of its members (football clubs), must affirm that:

1. We do not know which contract they have analyzed, and based on what they have concluded that it would include an applicable “termination clause” in the event that the player decides to activate the unilateral termination of the contract, effective from the beginning of 2019. / 2020 sports season.
2. That is due to a clear error on your part. So, as clause 8.2.3.6 of the contract signed by both the player and the club literally points out:

This compensation will not apply when the termination of the contract by unilateral decision of the player enters into force as of the end of the 2019/2020 sports season ”.

Regardless of other rights that are listed in the contract and that have been omitted, it is clear that the compensation of 700 million euros, listed in the previous clause 8.2.3.5, does not apply at all ”.

A few minutes later, the Spanish league issued another statement supporting their original stance and emphasizing that despite comments from Messi’s camp, they will require the fee to be paid in full if they let Messi go.

“The League has sent a response to the message sent by the representatives of the player Lionel Messi,” the statement read.

“This response highlights and confirms that his interpretation is out of context and far from the literality of the contract, so La Liga reiterates the statement published on August 30.”

What is the situation with Messi’s termination clause?

Messi had believed, at least for a time, that he could leave Barcelona with a free transfer by exercising a clause in his contract that stipulated that he could leave at the end of each season without paying a euro to the club.

Despite the fact that the term to exercise the clause has passed, Messi’s lawyers believe that Barcelona should comply with it, since the season had to be extended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, La Liga has reinforced Barcelona’s stance, with the club insisting that the clause has expired and that the only way Messi will be allowed to leave is if his € 700 million buyout clause is paid. In its whole.

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