“If people find out, they are going to kill us” - Lionel Messi, Pique allegedly involved in fund scam as Luis Rubiales' leaked messages emerge
Leaked messages and audio of former Barcelona players Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique with UEFA President Aleksander Cefarin and former RFEF president Luis Rubiales reveal an attempt to divert funds from the European Confederation. As per the leaks, this was done to compensate players for their salary reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An exclusive report by The Objective alleges that big names in Barcelona tried to bring in funds from RFEF and UEFA to compensate for the monetary loss. At that time, FC Barcelona had reportedly proposed a 70% wage reduction for the players in response to the pandemic that severely affected the club's economy.
The first exchange in this regard began on April 2, 2020. The report reveals that Gerard Pique and Luis Rubiales had a telephone conversation in which Pique expressed Lionel Messi's concern about the reduction of salaries during the COVID-19 pandemic with the prior authorization of the Barcelona number 10.
At 4:19 p.m. on the same day, Luis Rubiales sent UEFA President Aleksander Cefarin a WhatsApp audio, relaying what Gerard Pique had told him an hour before, the report reveals.
In that audio, Rubiales suggested the possibility of utilizing 'UEFA funds' to compensate for the low salaries of the players. Rubiales also suggested that Lionel Messi had wanted complete confidentiality regarding the negotiations.
"They [Piqué and Messi] told me clearly that, please, no one should find out that we are talking about our money because, if people find out, they are going to kill us," Rubiales told Cefarin.
Furthermore, Pique emphasized the fact that he was relaying Lionel Messi's demands. In response, the UEFA President pledged to maintain complete secrecy on the matter and assured that "not even his dog will find out."
Luis Rubiales' solution was to redirect the funds coming from the RFEF in such a way that they would fill the pockets of big players from Barcelona who have been affected, including Lionel Messi.
"I say that it is important for us to have Messi and the rest with us. Without having to put money. We only change the destiny and continue giving money to young clubs," suggested Rubiales.
Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique reportedly discussed a ‘proposal’ to take care of the salaries of Barcelona players
After the aforementioned conversation between the two Presidents, a three-way phone call took place between Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, and Luis Rubiales.
According to The Objective, they discussed a proposal that Rubiales had to submit to the Slovenian sports leader to help compensate for the monetary losses during the pandemic.
On April 4, 2020, Rubiales talked to Cefarin again and asked if the latter had considered the proposal. The RFEF president also informed that Lionel Messi is reportedly scared of the negotiations being leaked and someone knowing that the UEFA and RFEF were taking care of the players' salaries.
On April 6, Rubiales sent Cefarin a final proposal and suggested that 4% of the broadcasting rights of all UEFA matches should be redirected and 50% of the funds should be allocated to pay the players whose salaries were compromised.
In a detailed proposal, Rubiales explained the new redirection structure of the funds:
"The RFEF would allocate approximately 50% of the total solidarity payments to the contingency fund. The fund would cover the salary reduction of players in the First Division, Second Division, Second Division B, Third Division, Women's Soccer and Futsal (futsal)."
"The other 50% would be distributed in accordance with current demands exclusively among clubs that during the Covid-19 crisis did not agree to salary reductions with their players (25% for professional clubs and 25% for non-professional clubs)," stated the proposal (according to The Objective)
The proposal also stated the duration of the new directives. It said that they would be applied until the players' salary reductions were fully covered (which they assumed to be around 50 million euros).
This proposal could have several judicial implications, including influence peddling. The Barcelona players involved in the negotiation with Rubiales benefitted more from the strategy than their colleagues, which was one of the major reasons they insisted on maintaining the strictest confidentiality.