Lionel Messi departure: Barca fans furious with Bartomeu's management

A Barça fan, exasperated by the scheduled departure of Lionel Messi, is arrested by the police on August 26, 2020. Nacho Doce / Reuters

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Wednesday August 26, the day after the announcement of the upcoming departure of Lionel Messi from FC Barcelona, ​​the supporters are distraught and many express their anger in the Catalan city. Their wrath, however, is not directed against the Argentine, but against Barça management.

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With our correspondent in Barcelona, Elise Gazengel

It is at the foot of the Camp Nou, under the windows of the leaders of FC Barcelona, ​​Barça, that a hundred socios demonstrated to demand the resignation of the president of the club, Josep Maria Bartomeu. The supporters hold him responsible for the scheduled departure of Lionel Messi . Fans of the Argentinian even explain feeling rage against a management trying to save face.

Messi remains adamant : he wants to leave, without leaving clause

According to several Catalan media, Josep Maria Bartomeu wanted to speak with Messi on Wednesday August 26 to convince him to stay or, at a minimum, to find an amicable exit agreement, to avoid dragging the superstar player to court. A situation that would be experienced as a trauma, we are told.

In any case, the six-fold Ballon d'Or remains firm: he wants to leave without paying the departure clause of 700 million euros, because he considers that he is in his right, while the 2019-2020 season has ended. ended later than expected due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It remains to be seen for what sum he can leave and who will get his hands on the striker. In Barcelona, ​​some think of Manchester City, a club where Leo Messi could find former Barça coach, Catalan Pep Guardiola.

I think Messi will leave but at least his attitude has been to seek a minimum consensus or at least to demonstrate to the butt that he does not want to leave and that it is the circumstances which pushed, forced, to leave.

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►Also listen: Departure of Messi: "Barça is no longer competitive, it's a reality"

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