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The remark 'Barcelona is no longer a role model for us' made by Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness earlier this week carries a lot of weight. For a club that has set the standard for others on a sporting and noble basis over several decades, what could have gone wrong with Blaugrana?
The last few years have seen the Catalan giants struggle to live up to their 'Mes que un club' slogan. From one mess to another, Barcelona appear to have drifted from the core values that made it a shining light in European football.
Shortly after the start of the 21st century, the club started making headlines for the wrong reasons as it involved itself in many ugly and scandalous acts. That, in turn, has done a lot of harm to its reputation. It wouldn't be too much to say Barcelona FC is now a mere shadow of what it used to be.
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To throw more weight behind this claim, we highlight 5 infamous Barcelona scandals of the 21st century. They are as follows:
#5 The controversial transfer of Neymar from Santos
Barcelona announced the signing of Neymar from Santos in the summer of 2013. Blaugrana claimed they paid €57 million to lure the Brazilian to Camp Nou. Given the attacker's popularity and the number of suitors at the time, the transfer was considered a huge bargain across Europe
However, shortly after the transfer, some ugly details started emerging. It was discovered that Barcelona misrepresented the actual costs incurred while signing Neymar from Santos. Jordi Cases, a club member at the time, accused then-president Sandro Rosell of misappropriating funds amounting to €40m related to Neymar’s deal.
It soon became a legal case, with investigations revealing the actual transfer fee to be in the region of €83.3 million. The controversy stained Barcelona's reputation seriously and it was only the beginning of many other legal issues involving the Catalan giants and Neymar.
#4 The Barcagate scandal
In February 2020, former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu was accused of hiring a PR company, I3 Ventures, to tarnish the image of some club legends. Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Xavi Hernandez were all included.
Although Bartomeu's administration initially denied the allegations, it was later confirmed the club had indeed paid I3 ventures to do some social media work. The work involved painting a good image of the president while tarnishing the image of several players. Things got to an escalating level this year, leading to the arrest of Bartomeu and his aides.
#3 Neymar's loyalty bonus claims
Just a few years after Neymar's transfer controversy, the attacker and Barcelona got into another legal battle. This time, they went face-to-face with each other over claims of unpaid bonuses to the Brazilian.
Shortly after leaving the Blaugrana to join Paris Saint-Germain on a world-record deal in 2017, Neymar alleged that Barca owed him a €26 million loyalty bonus. The club, in turn, refused to honor it, citing a breach of agreement on the part of the player as an excuse.
The case dragged on for several months until the attacker decided to put an end to the legal battles between him and the club earlier this year.
#2 Lionel Messi's burofax saga
The 2019-2020 campaign proved to be disastrous for Barcelona. The Catalan giants experienced a disappointing trophyless outing, magnified by a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals.
Unimpressed by the sporting project at Camp Nou under Josep Maria Bartomeu, club legend Lionel Messi demanded a transfer. The Argentine sent his transfer request to the president via a burofax on August 24, 2020. He cited a clause in his contract that was meant to allow him to leave for free at the end of the season.
However, Bartomeu refused to honor the request. Refusing to take the club of his life to court, Messi ended up staying at Camp Nou. But the situation had already harmed his long-standing relationship with Barcelona and projected a negative image of the club across Europe.
#1 Joan Laporta's mind games
During the campaigns for the recent presidential elections, Joan Laporta made the promise that he'd keep Lionel Messi at Camp Nou if he came out on top. That won him massive support and he was voted in with the expectation of finding a way to tie the Argentine to a new contract.
However, the opposite happened as the attacker was forced to leave the club due to reported economic reasons. While the president cited financial constraints as an excuse, there are many who believe he could've done more to keep Leo in Catalonia.
With the controversies surrounding Barcelona's Super League commitments, the CVC deal and the alleged Florentino Perez's influence in Blaugrana's affairs, it's looking more like Laporta has other priorities. Apparently, he just used Messi's name to win the elections.
