A Barcelona fan holds up a Lionel Messi shirt outside the Camp Nou after captain Lionel Messi told Barcelona he wishes to leave the club immediately, a source confirmed on Tuesday. Reuters
A Barcelona fan holds up a Lionel Messi shirt outside the Camp Nou after captain Lionel Messi told Barcelona he wishes to leave the club immediately, a source confirmed on Tuesday. Reuters
Dozens of FC Barcelona fans gather outside Camp Nou Stadium to demand the resignation of the club's president, Josep Maria Bartomeu. EPA
Dozens of FC Barcelona fans gather outside Camp Nou Stadium to demand the resignation of the club's president, Josep Maria Bartomeu. EPA
Dozens of FC Barcelona fans gather outside Camp Nou Stadium. EPA
Dozens of FC Barcelona fans gather outside Camp Nou Stadium. EPA
Barcelona fans react outside the Camp Nou after captain Lionel Messi told Barcelona he wishes to leave the club. Reuters
Barcelona fans react outside the Camp Nou after captain Lionel Messi told Barcelona he wishes to leave the club. Reuters
Barcelona fans gathered outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Barcelona fans gathered outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Barcelona fans mingle outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Barcelona fans mingle outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Barcelona fans are seen outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Barcelona fans are seen outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
A Barcelona fan holds up a Lionel Messi shirt outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
A Barcelona fan holds up a Lionel Messi shirt outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
A Barcelona fan holds up a Lionel Messi shirt outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
A Barcelona fan holds up a Lionel Messi shirt outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Dozens of FC Barcelona fans gathered outside Camp Nou Stadium. EPA
Dozens of FC Barcelona fans gathered outside Camp Nou Stadium. EPA
Dozens of FC Barcelona fans gather outside Camp Nou Stadium. EPA
Dozens of FC Barcelona fans gather outside Camp Nou Stadium. EPA
Barcelona fans are seen outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Barcelona fans are seen outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Barcelona fans are seen outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Barcelona fans are seen outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Barcelona fans are seen outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Barcelona fans are seen outside the Camp Nou. Reuters
Lionel Messi endured a disappointing season at Barcelona. EPA
Lionel Messi endured a disappointing season at Barcelona. EPA

Football

Bitter battle lies ahead for Lionel Messi and Barcelona

Unprecedented schism between Barca and their superstar leaves Catalan club in chaos

Ian Hawkey
Ian Hawkey
London

August 27, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

It’s about a decade and a half since the term ‘Messidependencia’, Dependence on Messi, first came into mainstream use in Spain and Argentina.

Lionel Messi was still only a teenager, but so good his club and his country tended to lean heavily on him. At aged 33, Messi keeps getting better. Relying on Messi is, at Barcelona, a simple fact of life.

When, on Tuesday, the club's offices received from Messi's legal representatives a letter effectively demanding a free transfer, Barca's executives were stunned.

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They knew their superstar and captain has been unhappy with the direction of the club, because he has said so several times this season.

They knew he took the 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final badly. But the idea that Messi would initiate an abrupt departure with no compensation for the club where he grew up genuinely shocked.

Supporters, though many had been fearful of this day, were also taken by surprise, a small group angry enough to demonstrate at the Camp Nou, demanding that the board, led by president Josep Maria Bartomeu, stand down.

Bartomeu, whose strategy Messi has criticised through the last 12 months, will take much of the flak for this unprecedented schism between Barca and their superstar.

Bartomeu may not survive it. His mandate expires in 2021, and he has scheduled elections for his successor in March.

By breakfast-time on Wednesday, a motion of no-confidence, a device the club’s members – most of the season-ticket holders – could use to ultimately push Bartomeu out of office and bring forward elections, had been submitted at the club’s offices.

But any hope that scenario could reverse Messi’s apparent desire to leave is far-fetched.

The battle over the coming days will be between a captain and a sitting president whose relationship is toxic. And the contents of Messi’s letter puts them at two very distant extremes.

Messi’s lawyers argue that the contract the player signed in 2017 – which stipulated that if he wanted to leave in 2020, he would have to inform the club before June 10 this year – was valid only as long as it assumed the club season would end in early June at the latest.

Because of the Covid-19 crisis, the season was extended until the second half of August; so, Messi's lawyers argue, his decision on his future should be allowed to follow after the last match, which turned out to be the humiliation against Bayern, hot on the heels of Barca losing out on La Liga to Real Madrid.

But under the terms of his contract as Bartomeu reads them, Messi’s current buyout clause stands at a massive €700m (Dh3 billion).

This is a figure designed to deter any possible predatory bid, even from possible suitors with as much wealth as Paris Saint-Germain, or Manchester City – where the idea of working Pep Guardiola, Messi’s former mentor, would be welcomed by the Argentinian – or Inter Milan, Juventus or Manchester United.

None would pay anywhere near that buyout clause, even for the greatest footballer of this century.

But whatever the legal strength of Messi’s claim he should be allowed to immediately leave for free, the club know his contract would allow him to leave in July 2021 without a fee. That deadline urges them to sit down and negotiate down from €700m.

Barcelona have told Messi they want him to remain, and to retire as a Barca player, icon and legend.

He will always be feted, for having starred at and defined Barcelona in the most successful period of their history, but Messi knows a contentious departure, and one where he could be seen to be depriving the club of much-needed transfer funds would damage his reputation.

Barcelona has not only been his home for most of his life, but its fans are his core constituency, the base of a lucrative commercial juggernaut built around him.

Bartomeu, in turn, will be advised by his loyalists to try to save some political capital by setting a baseline fee of €222m. That was the figure Barca sold Neymar for, to PSG in 2017, and remains by far the highest fee ever paid for a footballer.

And Barcelona need money, because they need new signings, with or without Messi.

They have the highest wage-bill in the sport, a large share of it Messi’s salary, and their income, a substantial portion of which comes from tourist visits and on-site merchandising sales, has been badly affected by the pandemic.

Bartomeu promised overhaul of the squad after the dreadful end of season: “We need to evolve, players will move on and others come in,” he said.

_________________________________________________

10 possible destinations for Messi

MANCHESTER CITY: Relations between Lionel Messi and Barcelona are at an all time low following the club's record scorer submitting a request by fax stating he wishes to leave - on a free transfer. According to reports, an initial meeting between new coach Ronald Koeman and Messi did not go well, with the Dutchman telling the Argentine his privileges at the club where revoked. A reunion with former Barca mentor Pep Guardiola at City would seem an ideal fit, with the club's Abu Dhabi owners able to match both Messi's wage demands and his ambitions. The man with more than 700 goals to his name could be the missing piece of the puzzle that takes City to Champions League glory. EPA
MANCHESTER CITY: Relations between Lionel Messi and Barcelona are at an all time low following the club's record scorer submitting a request by fax stating he wishes to leave - on a free transfer. According to reports, an initial meeting between new coach Ronald Koeman and Messi did not go well, with the Dutchman telling the Argentine his privileges at the club where revoked. A reunion with former Barca mentor Pep Guardiola at City would seem an ideal fit, with the club's Abu Dhabi owners able to match both Messi's wage demands and his ambitions. The man with more than 700 goals to his name could be the missing piece of the puzzle that takes City to Champions League glory. EPA
ARGENTINA: The romantic option would be for Messi to head back to Argentina and rejoin his hometown club in Rosario, Newell's Old Boys. Messi has regularly stated he would ideally love to play for his boyhood club Newell's again before he retires but has also added that security concerns over the safety of his three young children would leave him reluctant to make that move in the current climate. EPA
ARGENTINA: The romantic option would be for Messi to head back to Argentina and rejoin his hometown club in Rosario, Newell's Old Boys. Messi has regularly stated he would ideally love to play for his boyhood club Newell's again before he retires but has also added that security concerns over the safety of his three young children would leave him reluctant to make that move in the current climate. EPA
ITALY: Despite their domestic dominance, Juventus again came up short in their quest for their own Holy Grail in the Champions League. While no one doubts Cristiano Ronaldo has been a success in Turin, the club are reportedly touting him to European rivals including Barcelona. Is there a parallel universe where Ronaldo and Messi swap clubs, and could it become a reality? AP Photo
ITALY: Despite their domestic dominance, Juventus again came up short in their quest for their own Holy Grail in the Champions League. While no one doubts Cristiano Ronaldo has been a success in Turin, the club are reportedly touting him to European rivals including Barcelona. Is there a parallel universe where Ronaldo and Messi swap clubs, and could it become a reality? AP Photo
FRANCE: Neymar left Barcelona in 2017 determined to step out of Messi's shadow and prove he could be the best player on the planet. The Brazilian came close to a move back to Camp Nou in the summer of 2019, with Messi said to be pushing for his fellow attacker's return, before the move broke down. Could Messi and Neymar be reunited in Paris? Or will PSG jettison their Neymar experiment to lure Messi? The French champions are one of few clubs who can match the Argentine's exorbitant wage demands, but will the challenge of Ligue 1 excite him? AFP
FRANCE: Neymar left Barcelona in 2017 determined to step out of Messi's shadow and prove he could be the best player on the planet. The Brazilian came close to a move back to Camp Nou in the summer of 2019, with Messi said to be pushing for his fellow attacker's return, before the move broke down. Could Messi and Neymar be reunited in Paris? Or will PSG jettison their Neymar experiment to lure Messi? The French champions are one of few clubs who can match the Argentine's exorbitant wage demands, but will the challenge of Ligue 1 excite him? AFP
PREMIER LEAGUE: Messi is known to be a big fan of the Premier League, and national television network Cuatro claimed on Tuesday that Manchester United are making a serious attempt to lure the Argentine to Old Trafford. While Messi and his representatives believe he is entitled to a free transfer, the Spanish giants say that detail of his contract expired at the end of May and that they are holding him to his €700 million release clause. While no club is likely to trigger that, horse trading of several young players - Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford or Paul Pogba spring to mind - could bring Barca to the negotiating table. AFP
PREMIER LEAGUE: Messi is known to be a big fan of the Premier League, and national television network Cuatro claimed on Tuesday that Manchester United are making a serious attempt to lure the Argentine to Old Trafford. While Messi and his representatives believe he is entitled to a free transfer, the Spanish giants say that detail of his contract expired at the end of May and that they are holding him to his €700 million release clause. While no club is likely to trigger that, horse trading of several young players - Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford or Paul Pogba spring to mind - could bring Barca to the negotiating table. AFP
SERIE A: Inter Milan are desperate to end Juventus' iron grip on the scudetto and club president Steven Zhang has reportedly already held talks with Messi's representatives even before the Argentine faxed in a transfer request on Tuesday. Several reports indicate that, should Messi move to San Siro, Lautaro Martinez, Inter's own Argentina international who at 23 is 10 years Messi's junior, will make the opposite move to Camp Nou. AFP
SERIE A: Inter Milan are desperate to end Juventus' iron grip on the scudetto and club president Steven Zhang has reportedly already held talks with Messi's representatives even before the Argentine faxed in a transfer request on Tuesday. Several reports indicate that, should Messi move to San Siro, Lautaro Martinez, Inter's own Argentina international who at 23 is 10 years Messi's junior, will make the opposite move to Camp Nou. AFP
MLS: Every club on the planet would love to have Messi if they had the finances, but few have the clout. If a move to Major League Soccer is considered then linking up with David Beckham's new Inter Miami FC franchise would seem a good fit. AFP
MLS: Every club on the planet would love to have Messi if they had the finances, but few have the clout. If a move to Major League Soccer is considered then linking up with David Beckham's new Inter Miami FC franchise would seem a good fit. AFP
QATAR: Barcelona legend Xavi has advised the board to do 'all they can to make Messi happy', which seems to have been roundly ignored. The former Barca midfielder, who acted as supplier in chief for a good few Messi goals during their time as teammates, distanced himself from the coach's job following Quique Setien's sacking, perhaps anticipating the malaise that was to follow. Now in charge of Qatari club Al Sadd, the lure of playing under Xavi - perhaps with a long-term view of following him back to Catalunya one day - could come into Messi's thinking. AFP
QATAR: Barcelona legend Xavi has advised the board to do 'all they can to make Messi happy', which seems to have been roundly ignored. The former Barca midfielder, who acted as supplier in chief for a good few Messi goals during their time as teammates, distanced himself from the coach's job following Quique Setien's sacking, perhaps anticipating the malaise that was to follow. Now in charge of Qatari club Al Sadd, the lure of playing under Xavi - perhaps with a long-term view of following him back to Catalunya one day - could come into Messi's thinking. AFP
JAPAN: Former Barcelona teammates Andreas Iniesta and Sergi Samper are already on the books at Japan's Vissel Kobe and a move to the J-League could appeal to Messi as he looks to wind down his career. Reuters
JAPAN: Former Barcelona teammates Andreas Iniesta and Sergi Samper are already on the books at Japan's Vissel Kobe and a move to the J-League could appeal to Messi as he looks to wind down his career. Reuters
CHINA: For a man whose annual salary is a reported £26 million, money may not be the motivating factor in any move for Messi. If he were to follow the well-trodden path of European and South American players and head to the Chinese Super League, it's probably fair to say he won't be taking a hit in the pocket. AFP
CHINA: For a man whose annual salary is a reported £26 million, money may not be the motivating factor in any move for Messi. If he were to follow the well-trodden path of European and South American players and head to the Chinese Super League, it's probably fair to say he won't be taking a hit in the pocket. AFP

_________________________________________________

A new manager, Ronald Koeman, has already been appointed and within 48 hours he heard directly from Messi that the player was thinking of a future away from Barca.

Koeman then told Luis Suarez, Messi’s contemporary, closest friend in the squad and most productive ally on the pitch, that he was free to leave.

The next day, Messi issued, by recorded delivery, his bombshell.

“On behalf of every Barca fan, I would get down on my knees and beg him to stay,” declared Joan Gaspart, who was president when a 14-year-old Messi first enrolled at the club. “But if getting on our knees doesn’t help, then he should not leave for a euro less than what it says on the contract, even if it means going for free in 2021.

“I have seen that contract, and it’s clear. There can be no backtracking.”

Other clubs, several of who have privately expressed their interest in Messi, will be studying the key clauses in that contract today.

The wise ones will wait for Barca to set a true asking price, while assuring Messi that they can offer him the best alternative home. City know they would certainly get a sympathetic hearing from the Argentinian. They will certainly not be alone in the bidding.

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

How to improve Arabic reading in early years

One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient

The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers

Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades

Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic

First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations

Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades

Improve the appearance of textbooks

Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings

Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught

Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tearful appearance

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Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

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Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair

Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins

Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles

Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax

Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match

Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre

Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match

Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match

Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day

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While you're here
THE%C2%A0SPECS
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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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Tomorrow 2021
Where can I submit a sample?

Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.

Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:

  • Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
  • Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
  • Al Towayya in Al Ain
  • NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
  • Bareen International Hospital
  • NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
  • NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
  • NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Company%20profile
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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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