La Liga chief Javier Tebas explains why he isn’t worried about Lionel Messi not returning to Spain with Barcelona
La Liga chief Javier Tebas is not worried about Barcelona's failed move for Lionel Messi. He wants Spanish clubs to be financially sound and not throw away their future for a short burst of success.
Tebas has been strict about making Spanish clubs stay within La Liga's wage limits as he wants them to function without being in danger of going bankrupt.
He had reportedly accepted the viability plans put forward by Barcelona to sign Messi. However, the club failed to get within the wage limit to sign Messi.
Tebas was not worried about that, however, as he wants La Liga clubs to secure their future first. He told Mundo Deportivo:
“Every year we are with the same story and what would worry me is having clubs with financial problems. What would really worry me is, as it happens in England, that the English government makes a white paper on football in that country that says that they are oversized and have a lot of expenses and that many clubs have gone or may go bankrupt.
"I would also worry, as happens in Italy, that they have to ask the State for a tax deferral of 700 million euros, or I would. It would worry [me], as it happens in France, to be the league that loses the most in all the clubs.”
Lionel Messi opted against a move to Saudi Arabia and announced his decision to join Inter Miami last week.
Barcelona take shots at Lionel Messi after Inter Miami move
Barcelona were keen on signing Lionel Messi but needed more time to complete the move. Spanish news agency MARCA claimed the Catalan side wanted the Argentine to wait until August, but he was unwilling to leave his future hanging for so long.
Once his move to Inter Miami was confirmed, Barcelona took a cheeky shot at Messi through a statement that read:
"President Laporta understood and respected Lionel Messi's decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years."
Messi is expected to make his debut for Inter Miami in August when the league returns from the mid-season break.