The contents of Lionel Messi’s infamous burofax to ex-Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu have been disclosed.
The paper, which Messi delivered last summer in an attempt to force a transfer away from Camp Nou, has now been made public.
Shortly after their Champions League humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich in August 2020, the 34-year-old revealed his intention to leave Spain.
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Despite the fact that he had another year left on his contract, he believed there was a condition in it that permitted him to depart for free.
Messi eventually surrendered after the Catalan side disputed the claim, though he would only stay for another year before heading to PSG.
The burofax, obtained by Mundo Deportivo, is dated August 24, 2020, nine days after Barcelona was humiliated 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League final and a day after Bayern hoisted the cup with victory against PSG.
Messi’s contract had a condition allowing him to depart if he requested it before June 10, 2020, the end of the 2019-20 season.
Although the deadline was manifestly missed, Messi maintained that the clause was still legitimate due to the delays created by the coronavirus outbreak.
He offered the example of force majeure, which is a contract condition that forbids one or both parties from performing their obligations due to an unanticipated occurrence beyond their control, such as the pandemic.
I understand that the time frame for exercising the right of unilateral termination without cause regulated by the aforementioned clause must be interpreted in light of the exceptional circumstances in which the 2019/20 football competition season took place, owing to the state of emergency and situation of force majeure resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” examine the burofax
Due to these extraordinary circumstances, the 2019/20 competition season came to an end yesterday, despite the fact that our team’s season concluded on August 15, when we returned to Barcelona following our Champions League elimination on the night of August 14.
In any case, within 10 days of the end of the competition season, and thus meeting the agreed-upon deadline for exercising the aforementioned clause 3.1., I exercise my right to terminate the contract with effect from August 30, 2020, in accordance with the material contract of our agreement, which must be interpreted in accordance with the exceptional circumstances of the 2019/20 season.