Ronald Koeman claims whoever leaked Lionel Messi's contract should be sacked
By Tom Gott
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has urged the club to sack whoever was responsible for leaking Lionel Messi's contract to the media.
Despite having a confidentiality clause which meant only five people at Camp Nou had access to it, Messi's contract was leaked to Spanish outlet El Mundo on Sunday, bringing to light the record-breaking £492m the Argentine will earn from his current deal.
It's turned into a pretty ugly situation which has both Barcelona and Messi threatening legal action against anyone and everyone, with both parties furious at how Messi has been portrayed as the reason behind Barcelona's mounting financial problems.
Given just how protected Messi's contract is, most rumours revolve around the possibility of somebody inside Camp Nou leaking the details of the deal, and Koeman warned whoever was responsible that they should be swiftly shown the exit door because of what they have done.
"What has come out is intended to damage him," Koeman said (via the Daily Mail) after his side's 2-1 win over Athletic Club. "Messi deserves respect.
"He has done so much for Spanish football. There are people out to hurt Barcelona and Messi. If it turns out to be someone on the inside then that is very bad and they should have no future at the club.
"I don’t understand how Messi can be linked to the ruin of Barcelona. For years now he has demonstrated his quality making this club great and helping them win important trophies. He’s been the best in the world for some time now and he is still decisive."
One person who is known to have had access to Messi's contract is former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who was named as one of those the Argentine is considering taking to court, but Bartomeu has come out and denied any involvement.
"It's totally false that I leaked this contract," the former president told TV3. "It's a very serious matter and it's totally illegal to filter professional contracts. Talking on TV and accusing is easy, but we're not kidding because this will end up in court.
"By the way, Leo deserves everything he earns for both sporting and commercial reasons, and without a pandemic, Barça can pay these figures perfectly."
Also offering his support for Messi was La Liga president Javier Tebas, who took to Twitter to emphasise that the size of his contract is not as bad as it appears.
"The delicate financial situation of Barcelona (similar in other big clubs) is not Messi's fault but rather the devastating effects of COVID," he wrote. "Without a pandemic, the revenue generated by the best player in history offset that cost. Some media are not treating this issue fairly."