Neymar was allowed to leave by a gross miscalculation of what he was actually worth when the mandatory release clauses in his contract were worked out less than a year ago, allowing Paris Saint-Germain to swoop in.
Lionel Messi’s new contract still isn’t signed and he’ll be free to negotiate with other teams in less than four months. The same is true of Andres Iniesta. Both seem to have deteriorating relationships with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who is also blamed for Neymar walking out.
Of the big summer targets, Barca failed to sign PSG playmaker Marco Verratti, a reincarnation of Xavi, and Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho didn’t come either.
Opportunities to sign star Juventus forward Paolo Dybala were reportedly and inexplicably spurned.
And, painfully, the Supercopa de Espana was lost to hateful rivals Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate, including an insufferable 3-1 loss at home.
From Paris, Neymar has blasted Bartomeu, calling him a “joke” after the latter claimed that trusting Neymar and his agent father was a mistake. Bartomeu has bigger problems. A push for a no-confidence vote among the club members reportedly has 14,000 signatures, meaning it needs just 2,500 to put the matter to the entire membership. The socios, so called, could have Bartomeu removed with a two-thirds majority in a full vote.
That could lead to yet more instability in the Catalan capital. In a summer when it’s not completely inconceivable that Messi or Iniesta — or, horror of horrors, both — could depart.
The Spanish soccer press is keen on declaring crises at Barcelona at the slightest sign of trouble. The end of a dynasty that has arguably run since the 2008-09 season with three Champions League trophies and six La Liga titles in nine years, has been called again and again — including in this space.
