Ponti’s message to Bartomeu in relation to Messi contained several unproven allegations.
Plenty of Barcelona fans will still be ruing the day that Lionel Messi made the decision to leave the club, and ultimately headed for a new challenge with French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain, and there were undoubtedly rounds of applause when we all watched him lead Argentina to victory in the recent World Cup out in Qatar, as it had been the one winners medal that had alluded him so far during his career.
Despite his legendary status at the Nou Camp, there are those who still feel angry and let down by his decision to move on from us, and this week it was sensationally reported that former Barcelona executives had absolutely laid into him, branding him a ‘hormonal dwarf’ and a ‘sewer rat’ in private WhatsApp messages and football odds today would probably suggest this story will run and run.
The messages were allegedly sent in January 2021 and had been leaked to Spanish outlet El Periodico and Messi was not the only person who came under fire, there were also insults aimed at Gerard Pique and current club president Joan Laporta – who was again elected for a second tenure just two months after the exchanges were sent.
The WhatsApp group reportedly contains former president Joan Bartomeu, and the insults to Messi – attributed to Roman Gomez Ponti, who was the club’s head of legal services during Bartomeu’s time in charge – were sent on the very day that the details of his Nou Camp contract were published by newspaper El Mundo.
It is further claimed that the group includes board members and senior club officials Oscar Grau, Jordi Maoix, Oriol Tomas, David Bellver, Pancho Schroder and Javier Sobrino – it is notable that these were amongst those who all left their executive positions at the club when Bartomeu resigned in late 2020 when he was facing a vote of no confidence.
Ponti’s message to Bartomeu in relation to Messi contained several unproven allegations.
“Barto, really, you can’t be such a good person with this sewer rat. The club has given him everything and he has dedicated himself to marking a dictatorship of signings, transfers, renewals, sponsorships just for him, etc.”
Ponti’s angst did not end their though, and he reportedly continued on and called the Argentine wizard a ‘pesetero’ which basically translates as a money grabber, as well as then questioning the clubs decision to renew contracts for close friend striker Luis Suarez, full back Jordi Alba and Ansu Fati’s renewal fee which effectively went to Messi’s brother, Rodrigo, who serves as his agent.
“Above all the accumulation of blackmail and rudeness that the club and those of us who work for it have suffered from this hormonal dwarf who owes Barca his life… ah! But when things go wrong [Covid-19] you receive the mythical WhatsApp [message]: ‘President, lower the salaries of others, but don’t touch Luis [Suarez] and me.'”
A later message reportedly from Bartomeu stated.
“Many times we have listened to Leo, not always, but many times, and this contract without a pandemic was totally acceptable.”
He added that he believed the deal was equivalent to 15% of the clubs entire budget, but that ‘it was correct taking into account everything that he generates.’
Many will see that message as a partial defence given Messi’s importance, but you get the sense this story has not ended yet.
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