When Alemany said he was leaving for the Premier League, Laporta again ordered the signing of a Deco who, this time, accepted the proposal without it being made official. The incorporation went ahead despite the Mallorcan executive’s decision to remain as a strong man in the Blaugrana offices. And, in fact, now it is Jordi Cruyff’s departure that justifies it 100%. However, Barça continues without making it a reality through one of its typical communiques. Deco, who before the 2021 elections campaigned explicitly in favor of Laporta, already has the new position in fact. He has a voice and a vote in the meetings to plan the next season and does not have to ask permission to pass the fence of the sports city. However, the club has not yet explained to the members that it has signed him to make decisions in sports matters. If the announcement is delayed, it is because hiring him still conflicts with the Barça code of ethics.
Section 4.6 is one of those that squeaks. “While Barça recognizes and respects the participation of staff in financial and business activities other than those developed by the entity […]he must at all times avoid those situations that could pose a conflict between his personal interests and those of the club, or that allow them to take advantage of their position at Barça to obtain advantages or business opportunities,” says the regulation. In the case of Deco, the possible incompatibility comes from being the owner of a representation company called D20 Sports that protects the careers of seventeen footballers, including Raphinha Dias, currently a member of the first team with an armored contract until 2027.
If Raphinha left it would solve part of the problem
The coincidence at Barça of the Brazilian winger with Deco goes even further in ethical terms, because in section 5 of the Barcelona code it is explicitly prohibited to “receive commissions” from managers, members of statutory commissions and senior management personnel . This completely clashes with the former Leeds footballer’s clauses, which provide for the payment of amounts associated with the salary to be paid to the people who participated in his signing, including Deco, while the agreement is valid. The practice is very common, Alemany admitted it a few months ago and it is estimated at 5% to 10% of the economic treatment with the athlete. In other words, if a player earns 10 million gross per year, between 500,000 and 1 million euros go to the agents.
Therefore, for Deco to become part of the sports management of Barça with Raphinha on the payroll, there is only one possible ethical solution: a waiver of these commissions through a contract update. The alternative is for the Brazilian to leave on a transfer, an option that the player does not care about at the moment because he is at ease in Barcelona and prefers not to accept the offers he has to return to England. Xavi also counts on him, but he is not completely opposed to an exit that he can generate fair play in case of surplus value and, therefore, make the arrival of other more necessary footballers more possible. In the club offices, for their part, they would also celebrate the entry of money to oxygenate the income statement before June 30.
Of course, in the event of a sale, Deco would also not be able to receive agent commissions by virtue of an operation that he himself would be signing with salary and position in the offices of Barça, entity that benefited from the transfer. “All this must be very well defined when formalizing any agreement”, they admit from the environment of the new sports director. Meanwhile, from the area of compliance they remain silent when ARA asks them about the fit between Deco’s professional past and present and his future linked to Barça.
