I agree. However, I do wonder if this and La Liga cleaning house as it were, will eventually come back to bite us. While it is great that we have no clubs coming in to buy our best players, thus going strength to strength, it also means it is harder for us to refresh the team as it ages collectively.
I’d also hate to see our domestic competitors becoming more dominant in European competition too.
I think Messi was fed up with Bartomeu and genuinly wanted to leave last season. But then things changed with Laporta coming back.
Barca were crazy not to sell him last summer for possibly 250m. They’ve made a messive mistake and could have avoided this messi situation.
Sounds like absolute bullshit to me
No way he couldn’t get an exemption, dropping from 1 gazillion a week to half a gazzilion a week.
Those kind of laws are made for minimum wage contracts etc, for a blog or podcast to state it as some kind of excuse is both grossly insensitive and grossly imbecilic.
10% for 50 years 
The league says the deal will strengthen its clubs and give them funds to spend on new infrastructure as well as increasing how much they could spend on players’ salaries.
70% on new infrastructure
I’ve very little sympathy for Messi. He’s threatened to leave numerous times, including claiming he was being harassed by tax officials, and invariably came out of it with a shiny new contract earning him a fuck ton more than he was previously. One can argue he was being paid according to his status but his club was increasingly being held to ransom and incoming signings who were not worth what they were being paid had a leg up on negotiations.
Not that I have much sympathy for Barcelona either, mind. I just find all the handwringing and tears from Messi, and on behalf of Messi, all a bit vomit inducing. Him and his club, and all the others guilty of unsustainable wage inflation, have made this bed. There are real problems in the world, this is just another pampered millionaire who isn’t quite getting what he wanted but will still be paid hundreds of millions anyway. Boo fucking hoo.
The sarcasm and how literal the English Translation is (assuming Tebas did reply in Spanish) to the Spanish FA statement is quite funny
3 minutes in and Valencia’s player received a straight red. (First red card for the new season.)
Then less than 8 minutes, Valencia got a penalty kick against Getafe. (First penalty and first goal for the new season.)
Seems like that the ref loves the spot light a bit much.
Oh, first fake “gooooooallllllllll” on the English commentary.
The tackles in this match so far have been brutal. Nasty Spanish football stuff.
The game is showing on MTV 
I thought it was one of those stupid celebrity/roleplay thing 
So Barca kick off their season on Sunday and as far as I can tell, still have not figured out a way to get Aguero, Depay or Emerson registered
It’s going to be an interesting season for them.
Was going say we get Lá Liga TV which is actually pretty good, effectively most of the lot who did a decent job of the sky coverage back in the day.
BT should bring back the European football show now they have Série A again or just bring back James Richardson.
Our TSN La Liga feed is coming from ESPN (US).
2nd yellow. Getafe has a player sent off. The ref is determined to want the limelight to this match. Total BS.
Oh, I think that the ref also gave someone on the bench a red, and the manager a yellow.
Ah, the ref is in the fuchsia / shocking pink outfit. Loves the attention.
How pissed do you think ESPN is with Messi leaving? lol
You do realise that the ref doesn’t pick the kit dont you
I don’t agree that Messi is a disruptive influence in the dressing room.
He’s adored by any and all of his managers, and any and all of his team mates.
It’s strange a club like Barcelona can’t afford to retain a player like Lio, but I don’t believe it’s anything to do with his attitude.
Fat Head Koeman comes across as the Dictator type to me…
If so, it would suit him for Messi to be moved on
Dutch gonna Dutch.
Anyway, I thought Xavi was taking over now Bartomeu has been kicked.
The saviour of the beautiful game would rather do nothing in Qatar.
I don’t usually like to use words like “smug” or “hypocritical” or “gobshite”.
So I won’t.