Lionel Messi Transfer Saga: Barcelona President Joan Laporta Explains Reason Behind The Argentine Exit

Laporta further said that he can't destroy the club by putting it at a big risk.

New Delhi: FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta explained the reason behind Lionel Messi exit despite him agreeing to take the pay cut. Laporta said that the club doesn’t have any margin in terms of salary as La Liga Financial Fair Play rules are not flexible. Messi became a free agent after 30th June but there was constant contact with Barcelona regarding the new contract negotiations but on Thursday, Barcelona announced that the Argentine will not continue at the club.

Barcelona are going through a financial crisis and not signing Messi is a big blow for them looking at the impact the Argentine had at the club.

Laporta said that the current salary mass is 110 per cent of the total income of the club which caused issues in Messi’s contract situation.

“The salary mass is 110 per cent of the total income of the club, we don’t have any margin in terms of salary.

“The rules and regulations of the Spanish La Liga is regulated by Financial Fair Play and we don’t have any margin,” Laporta said in the press conference.

Laporta, who took over the charge of the club earlier this year, said that the numbers presented to the board were a lot worse than expected.

“We knew that when we got to the club, but the numbers that have been presented to us, they are a lot worse than were exposed initially and those that we were working with. That means that the losses are more than we had expected.

“What we are spending is a lot more than we expected and the current contracts mean that we have this salary mass of great magnitude.

“This is all tied to fair play. La Liga doesn’t follow the criteria of cash, that is why we couldn’t fit in the first contract that we agreed with Leo Messi.

The 59-year-old further stated that the new operation from La Liga which can provide Barcelona with a boost to re-sign Messi will put the club at a risk.

“In order to meet fair play, Barca had to agree to an operation that would impact the club for the next 50 years in terms of television rights. That means that we can’t make a decision that impacts the club for the next 50 years.

“The club is more than 100 years old and is above everything – even the best player in the world. We will always thank him for everything he has done for us. The club goes above players, the president,” he said.

Laporta further said that he can’t destroy the club by putting it at a big risk.

“We wanted to take the risks. We have realised what the real situation is at the club and we would have put the club at great risk.

“The salary mass has a great deal to do with that after a calamitous situation that was down to the previous board. If we terminate current contracts, that also has risks. We can’t destroy the club.”

The President further said that Messi was ready to help the club by taking the pay cut and there was a total agreement between him and the club but Barcelona can’t register his contract due to La Liga Financial Fair Play.

“We had an agreement with Messi and he was helping the club, he made it easy. We had a total agreement and we can’t register it – yesterday we spoke with Leo and his father Jorge about this limit we had from La Liga,” Laporta said.