Barcelona hit with hefty fine over Matheus Fernandes improper dismissal case
By Tom Gott
Barcelona have been ordered to pay €8.5m to Brazilian midfielder Matheus Fernandes after finding the Catalan side guilty of improper dismissal.
Fernandes, now 24, joined Barcelona in 2020 but would go on to make just one appearance lasting 17 minutes before his contracted was terminated 12 months later, four years before it was due to run out.
The midfielder has spoken openly about his frustrations towards his time at Barcelona and the manner of his dismissal, even taking the Blaugrana to court to argue that the termination of his contract was unfair.
As noted by Cadena SER, Barcelona have been found guilty of improper dismissal of Fernandes and have been ordered to pay the midfielder a cool €8.5m.
Barcelona argued that they had the right to terminate Fernandes' deal because he allowed his fitness and performance levels to drop beyond a reasonable extent.
Listen now as Scott Saunders hosts Graeme Bailey, Toby Cudworth and Tom Gott in the latest episode of Talking Transfers. This week they discuss Chelsea’s hectic transfer strategy, which includes a loan move for Joao Felix and interest in Romeo Lavia and Marcus Thuram among others, Man Utd’s pursuit of Burnley striker Wout Weghorst, Leandro Trossard’s Brighton future and more. Available on all audio platforms.
If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
However, the physio report Barcelona used in their argument was signed by a trainer who never worked with Fernandes and would therefore could not fairly comment on the Brazilian's physical condition.
Barcelona have appealed the ruling, continuing to argue they were within their rights to part ways with Fernandes.
The club had attempted to sell Fernandes, for whom they paid €7m, but failed to find any buyers and ultimately took the drastic step of terminating his contract, which has since proven to be a costly decision for a club in deep financial struggles.