A Messi Situation
Wednesday, 06 August 08, 07:51 AM · Comments (31)
So, now it turns out that Barça were correct to defend their interest in the Messi/Olympics saga. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) have ruled in favour of Barça, Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 to say these clubs are not obliged to release their players for the Olympic games, and the clubs can now legally recall their players for the Champions League qualifiers. The Argentinian camp have responded by declaring their intention to play Messi in tomorrow's opening game against Ivory Coast.
Putting to one side the arguments of whether or not Messi should play in the Olympics (we have already had that debate on the blog), I have to say that it is incredible that the powers that be cannot clear up these issues at an earlier date. If Barça do decide to recall Messi now the player will have completed a ridiculous amount of air miles in the last couple of weeks which can only be detrimental to his performance both short term and long term. The fact that Fifa's Sepp Blatter has consistently stated that Messi should play in China suggests that he is not aware of the rules of the game in this case as the Olympics is not officially part of the international football calender.
Barça, on the other hand, always claimed to have the law on their side and have now been shown to be correct in their stance. However, if the club now does demand the player come home how is Messi going to feel about it? Fifa and Blatter have overstepped the mark in this case, CAS ruled that there was "no specific decision of the Fifa executive committee establishing the obligation for the clubs to release players under 23 for this tournament".
Given that Messi is now in China, I feel the best thing the club could do would be to act magnanimously, allow Messi to compete with Argentina while claiming a moral victory. Blatter should apologise for his part in the mess, and considering that Argentina have benefitted from Fifa's meddling they should be asked to offer some financial compensation.
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Hey Nic...we will carry an FCBNEWS sign at the game today against NY Bulls...free advertising, you know!!!!
Hey Diatus, that's fantastic, I'll look out for it on the TV tonight. For all of you going to tonight's game - I hope you have a great time.
nice pun nic.
this situation is annoying. ive said i dont think messi should be there, but now that he is, we should NOT force him to come back. we are just going to hurt relations with him. he should have wanted to stay himself. forcing him is not the way to go. i know WE pay him and he is essentually our employee, but we are going to force him not to play for his country, something he ovbviously feels strongly about. this doesnt sit right with me.
i too agree with nic, well said by the way. i give messi some credit having been fairly quiet in this whole dilemma. sure, he could stand up to the whole thing more, but i think as young as he is, he will learn from it and hopefully benefit in a good way. if all goes/stays well, he is one of the key pillars of our barca.
have fun at the game!
is there anyway we can watch it online?
I think Guardiola said it best:
"Whatever happens," reflected Guardiola, "it's important Messi is happy.
"This is the most important thing."
"CAS decided that although it was an established custom for players to be allowed to travel to the Olympics, the tradition had no legal foundation and could not be enforced against the clubs' wishes."
So much for established customs of a magnanimous nature. Yes, the whole affair is annoying to say the least. Do I think Laporta will not call Messi back? After all this pettiness, he's going to suddenly have a heart and say, "Well, you know what? What the hell, let Lionel play in Beijing. The squad will endure until his return." Not. The man has been showing his true colors since 07/08, when the proverbial 'caca' hit the fan. You want to see a man's true character? Put him under pressure, it will show.
31 Comments · Add yours
I agree .The club should let Messi participate in the Olympics. Barca may use him in the first leg of the CL qualifier if needed but should NOT under any circumstances prevent him from going to the Olympics entirely. This is a compromise that both the club and the player can live with. Otherwise,things can only get sour between Barca and Messi .That could be the worst case scenario !! Stay tuned.
@Nic,
Haha...I was right...tell Laporta to put my "attorney fees" in the mail.