The arrival of Lionel Messi in Paris is not only happy. In Barcelona, obviously, where the majority of supporters wanted to see La Pulga extend the adventure for a little while longer. But even outside the Catalan borders, some see there a new flagrant lack of sporting fairness, at the French but also European level. A group of Barcelona socios represented by lawyer Juan Branco thus intends to seize the European Commission to prevent the club in the French capital from recruiting the Argentinian.
Juan Branco notably published a long column on social networks, explaining his approach. “The potential recruitment of Lionel Messi by the PSG would constitute a flagrant diversion of the rules of financial fair play, supposed to apply in a homogeneous way at the European level. Football is one of the areas where corruption is the most important, and the PSG is today used as an instrument of propaganda by a sovereign power, Qatar, the main support of the Muslim Brotherhood, in order to protect itself from its Gulf neighbors. The massive injections of money into national and European competitions by European powers create significant distortions of competition, beyond creating an inflationary spiral which increases the cost of tickets to the stadium, subscriptions, etc. These opportunistic interventions spoil the favorite spectacle, sometimes the only outlet, of hundreds of millions of people. There are two solutions: the headlong rush (Superleague), or regulation with the strict application of European rules. In this case, the DNCG refused to sanction the PSG despite a ratio between salaries and income in 2019-2020 approaching 100%. In 2020-2021, it will get worse. However, all the European leagues have agreed on a maximum ratio of 70% ”, he explained on Twitter.
PSG favored by Ligue 1?
But above all, his cabinet published a press release in which the intentions of this group of socios are revealed in more detail. “At the request of FC Barcelona socios, a complaint to the European Commission was prepared under Articles 107 and 116 of the TFEU, as well as summary proceedings before the administrative and civil courts, with a view to the signing of Lionel Messi at Paris-Saint-Germain “, can we read there, with the argument of the wage / income ratio which is still put forward.
“It is inconceivable that the national rules of financial fair play, supposed to apply in a uniform way at the European level, force the exit of a key player of a team of first importance towards a club with worse financial ratios . The LFP has unduly favored Paris-Saint-Germain by imposing that these ratios only apply in France in 2023. We will dispute it ”, also explains the press release. Is this a simple media buzz or is the possibility of preventing La Pulga from treading the lawn of the Park is real? We’ll find out soon …
The full press release
“Press Release Signature of Messi at Paris-Saint-Germain At the request of FC Barcelona socios, a complaint to the European Commission was prepared under Articles 107 and 116 of the TFEU, as well as summary proceedings before the administrative courts and civilians, in view of the signing of Lionel Messi at Paris-Saint-Germain. The DNCG and the LFP did not play their role against the PSG, which presented in 2019-2020 salary / income ratios of almost 100% instead of the 70% required in Spain and in all other European countries. The DNCG refused, against all evidence, to take sanctions against PSG, by a deliberation of June 25, 2021. FC Barcelona, which was not authorized by La Liga de Futbol Profesional to renew Lionel Messi’s contract, presented in 2019-2020 a salary / income ratio of 54%. The gap has worsened in the meantime. It is inconceivable that the national rules of financial fair play, which are supposed to apply uniformly across Europe, force the exit of a key player from a major team to a club with worse financial ratios. The LFP unduly favored Paris-Saint-Germain by imposing that these ratios only apply in France in 2023. We will dispute this. Dr. Juan Branco Lawyer at the Paris Court of Appeal »
