Topic: FC Barcelona

[gerrardisgod]

And Pique’s jibbed it, retiring after their match on Saturday.

I mean he’s looked well past it for ages now, but what a way to treat players that done and won so much for your club.

[Dave McCoy]

And Pique’s jibbed it, retiring after their match on Saturday.

I mean he’s looked well past it for ages now, but what a way to treat players that done and won so much for your club.

It's certainly possible Laporta forced him out. Supposedly by getting his wages off the books for the rest of this year they now won't post a loss and it will make the cuts they need to make for next season lower as well. With that said I'm pretty sure it's been well reported that Pique wants to eventually run for Barca president and leaving the club on good terms even at the cost of money in the short term would certainly help with that.

[cdav]

It's certainly possible Laporta forced him out. Supposedly by getting his wages off the books for the rest of this year they now won't post a loss and it will make the cuts they need to make for next season lower as well. With that said I'm pretty sure it's been well reported that Pique wants to eventually run for Barca president and leaving the club on good terms even at the cost of money in the short term would certainly help with that.

How much was he owed in deferred wages- it was pretty astronomical in the last accounts I think? Can't see him just forgetting that

[Dave McCoy]

How much was he owed in deferred wages- it was pretty astronomical in the last accounts I think? Can't see him just forgetting that

Like anything with player wages its hard to say with 100% accuracy but supposedly his current wages are £450k/w, so he's walking away from 18 months of that which would be ~£34m. Maybe Shakira had to pay him out? Hah. No idea but like I said he wants to be Barca president at some point and having his last 18 months at the club be nothing but bad play and Laporta saying his wages are killing the club would probably make that pretty tough.

[disgraced cake]

Was a bit rough in his last couple of years there but Pique was an excellent defender in his prime. Was far better than Ramos imo

[Ravishing Rick Dude]

Was a bit rough in his last couple of years there but Pique was an excellent defender in his prime. Was far better than Ramos imo

You think? I always thought him and Valdes weren't that good.They were lucky to have played with some of the greatest players like Messi, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Alves etc, so their averageness wasn't very noticeable.

[darragh85]

You think? I always thought him and Valdes weren't that good.They were lucky to have played with some of the greatest players like Messi, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Alves etc, so their averageness wasn't very noticeable.

you could argue the opposite also though. that playing in that system left him more exposed.

I always rate Puyol in particular so highly. To me, its easier for a cb who plays in a more defensive system and gets lots of protection.

misread your post slightly, thought you meant Puyol wasnt very good for some reason. I agree about Valdes though. he was ok. Pique was a very good cb though.

[elsewhere]

And Pique’s jibbed it, retiring after their match on Saturday.

I mean he’s looked well past it for ages now, but what a way to treat players that done and won so much for your club.

why didn't he say he is retiring at the end of the season? Sounds a bit strange when a club legend says 'I am retiring in 2 days' instead of 'this is my last season'.
I think Xavi told him he won't be in the squad after Inter match and maybe management didn't like that he has been businessman instead of a football player last 2-3 years.

[Gerry Attrick]

why didn't he say he is retiring at the end of the season? Sounds a bit strange when a club legend says 'I am retiring in 2 days' instead of 'this is my last season'.
I think Xavi told him he won't be in the squad after Inter match and maybe management didn't like that he has been businessman instead of a football player last 2-3 years.

Barcelona owe him 10s of millions and he wants to be President. This allows him to leave as the good guy without them paying what he deferred and gains him some positive feelings.

[disgraced cake]

You think? I always thought him and Valdes weren't that good.They were lucky to have played with some of the greatest players like Messi, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Alves etc, so their averageness wasn't very noticeable.

Yeah, I always thought he was a really good central defender in his best years. As I say I think as he got into his 30s he began struggling and never looked the same, but on his day I think he deserved acclaim.

As for Valdes, I agree with you on that one. Thought he was a bit overrated myself. Not to say I thought he was turd or anything but didn't think he was top class - he was one I thought certainly benefitted from the greats like Messi, Xavi etc etc.

Puyol was a really good defender wasn't he. Used to really like watching him.

[Samie]

They've ran out of levers. 

FC Barcelona must reduce the wage bill by at least €200M, as the club can no longer use any economic levers to sign players. A big departures is needed.
[@CatalunyaRadio]

[PeterTheRed ...]

They've ran out of levers. 

Their wage bill must still be ridiculous, when they have to reduce it by €200 million ...

[farawayred]

Their wage bill must still be ridiculous, when they have to reduce it by €200 million ...

I suppose that signing big players on free hits that department very hard... Plus, the Messi impact (raising salaries all-around him) is probably still felt. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a €1bn wage bill...

[PaulF]

Do they have any central midfielders we could use on loan 😃

[Max_powers]

Do they have any central midfielders we could use on loan 😃

Loan??? Sign Pedri and Gavi up!!!

[RedG13]

Do they have any central midfielders we could use on loan 😃

Get Agent Virgil on the phone with De Jong
De Jong Wages would have change a lot though

[PeterTheRed ...]

I suppose that signing big players on free hits that department very hard... Plus, the Messi impact (raising salaries all-around him) is probably still felt. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a €1bn wage bill...

Yeah, big signing-on bonuses spread over the length of the contracts must be ridiculous. And they were giving these huge bonuses even to players who were not signed on the free. I've read that De Jong's basic wages are at £250,000 per week, but that in reality he is getting £375,000 per week ...

[rossipersempre]

I've read that De Jong's basic wages are at £250,000 per week, but that in reality he is getting £375,000 per week ...

United salary vibes, right there.

[Samie]

They spent 150 million Euros in the past six months alone. Dumb mofos. 

[elsewhere]

Dani Alves sent to prison for sexual assault

[TepidT2O]

Given that jive have been found guilty of cooking their books, it seems likely that Barca were also involved in this when they dealt with them…

[Terry de Niro]

Dani Alves sent to prison for sexual assault

Suspicion at this stage.

Brazil defender Dani Alves has been detained by police in Barcelona on suspicion of sexual assault.

The former Barcelona full-back, 39, allegedly assaulted a woman by inappropriately touching her in a nightclub in Barcelona in December.

Alves, who has denied the allegation, has been taken into custody and will be questioned by a judge on Friday.

He played 408 times for Barcelona across two spells and was also part of Brazil's 2022 World Cup squad.

The defender currently plays for Pumas UNAM in Mexico.

Local police Mossos d'Esquadra confirmed the details to Reuters and AFP news agencies

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64346267

[Red Beret]

Dani Alves sent to prison for sexual assault

He's being held in custody. Big difference.

[afc tukrish]

Given that jive have been found guilty of cooking their books, it seems likely that Barca were also involved in this when they dealt with them…

It's just your jive talkin'...

[Samie]

Ronaldinho has announced that his 17-year old son Joao Mendes will sign for Barcelona.

[Sangria]

Which one's Ronaldinho?

[stoa]

Does he get Jordi Cruyff's locker?

[BarryCrocker]

Going to be some cutbacks again before next season.

LaLiga president, Javier Tebas, has once again laid down the law and instructed Barcelona to slash their wage bill by a whopping €200m.

[Nobby Reserve]

Gavi, please

[Flaccido Dongingo]

He looks like Jermaine Jenas

[lionel_messias]

Gavi, please

You say and Barcelona say:

European Super League please.

[farawayred]

Gavi, please

Gavi, Pedri…

[davidlpool1982]

Guardian with a story about Barcelona being investigated by prosecutors over paying a company owned by a official on the Referees association. Might be nothing but even if it is innocent the optics are terrible.


https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/16/barcelona-payments-refereeing-official-company-prosecutors-investigate

Spanish prosecutors are investigating about €1.4m (£1.2m) in payments Barcelona made over three years to a company owned by a high-ranking official of Spain’s refereeing body.

The Spanish radio station Cadena SER said on Wednesday that the club made the payments between 2016 and 2018 to a company of José María Enríquez Negreira, who was then the vice-president of a refereeing committee of the Spanish football federation (RFEF).

Barcelona said they were aware of the investigationand that they had “hired the services of an external consultant” that supplied “technical reports related to professional refereeing”, calling it “a common practice among professional football clubs”.

[lionel_messias]

Guardian with a story about Barcelona being investigated by prosecutors over paying a company owned by a official on the Referees association. Might be nothing but even if it is innocent the optics are terrible.


https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/16/barcelona-payments-refereeing-official-company-prosecutors-investigate

The perfect club for Pep Guardiola to return to after his City project is declared 'Lance Armstronged' by the PL

[El Lobo]

I doubt its anything dodgy, he's probably just the agent of that rubbish Middlesbrough striker they spent about £20 million on t'other season

[Samie]

This lot are uber fucked with these new ref allegation payments.

[stoa]

This lot are uber fucked with these new ref allegation payments.

It looks shady as fuck and even if nothing illegal was going on, no way should it be possible that a guy who's (at least partly) responsible for the refs in the league has a company that's doing business with a club in the league giving them info about how to deal with refs.

[Indomitable_Carp]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/20/barcelona-la-liga-xavi-hernandez-former-referee-payments-scandal

Mad how this story had mostly flown under the radar until this point. Outrageous behaviour. The case against Barça gets worse and worse by the day.

Thing is, this isn't just bad for Barcelona and Spanish football, but football everywhere. In the age in which internet refereeing conspiracies abound, this is just the sort of story that every single "the refs have it in for us" spouted on the internet (or in the pubs) will feed off (and who knows, maybe they'll finally have a point...)

[tubby]

This is such a weird story, if you're paying refs on the sly, why not brown envelope it instead of leaving a paper trail.  Out of the non-sportswashed clubs, Barca are the dirt worst.

[harleydanger]

Loan??? Sign Pedri and Gavi up!!!

Pedri, Gavi, Bejcetic.

Spains midfield for the next decade would be pretty good to have.