The European/World Football Thread

Is it bad that by this point I’m starting to actively want them to do a Leeds?

I still can't wrap my head around how badly managed Barcelona are

Watch them immediately spend €120m on Gini Wijnaldum

I just don’t understand where Socios get all their cash from. Their coin has tanked, their fan tokens are now all worthless. Ours didn’t even sell out on the IPO to fans. They’re throwing ungodly amounts of money at clubs but nobody is actually buying their product.

I do like the kit...

I'm really not sure I get this.

Barcelona genuinely think they can take *checks notes* Barcelona (seeing as they are the same legal entity) to court with regard to an illegal FDJ contract. Is the best case then that they win, the contract is declared illegal, and is therefore nul and void? So then he'd be a free agent and they'd miss out on £60m transfer fee? Furthermore it would apparently apply to several other contracts.

Either I'm missing something or they have no thought this through. The only way this makes any sense is if the player and not the club is liable for the illegality and therefore has to repay salary to date, and/or the salary outstanding is worth more than prospective lost transfer fees which surely isn't the case?

On what basis are they claiming a contract they offered the player is illegal and worth them suing themselves over?

They're just after getting it voided, no? Not so suing anyone.

There was some interesting conjecture on whether that would essentially make him a free agent.

It's bullshit anyway, just more stories to try and get him to cut his pay massively.

Yeah but it can't be a legal case against FDJ directly can it?

They aren't claiming he's in breach of contract, they are saying the entire contact negotiated and agreed by Barcelona is 'illegal'. It's not as if FDJ representatives could draw it up in isolation and trick Barca to sign it. That's fantasy.

Seems to me like the current Barca board are trying to pretend they aren't beholden to the agreements of the previous board, which is frankly nonsense. It's still the same legal entity.

The only plausible play here is surely Barca truly to cancel the contract altogether, which would have wide ranging consequences.

If anything I would have thought FDJ could sue the pants up off them at this point. Must be getting close to constructive dismissal threshold. Maybe claiming the employment contract is invalid and unenforceable anyway is their preemptive legal defense?

I have heard that before about Spanish housing law, and that does seem ridiculous.  Sorry you got screwed. 

This is still an employment contract.  FDJ has responsibilities and so do Barca.  I've read a bit more about this today and it now makes slightly more sense to me but even so, I don't think they've fully considered the ramifications of inviting scrutiny and challenge to every contract signed by the previous regime.

It seems their plan is to argue the contract is invalid and therefore have it annulled as the first step.  Then I presume they are of the belief that his previous contract (before a pay rise) would no longer be superseded and would therefore still be valid and become the backstop.  I guess this is because that original employment contract has an end date that it is in the future, so they don't believe that FDJ could immediately leave on a free, nor do they believe they'd need to immediately compel him to sign a new replacement contract on reduced wages.

Seems like FJD still has the power then, but might have to be patient.  Worst case for him, Barca are right and he has to revert to his old pay deal.  Logically that doesn't have that many years to run (which is why they renewed & extended) so he could still call their bluff, wait it out and leave on a free for a big pay day.

Now I could live with this. 

Alaba has just scored a cracking free kick to give Real the lead after they had been behind for ages.

Come on Salernitana.

Richarlison got booked for taking his shirt off when he scored a goal that was ruled out by VAR for Spurs.