Messi discussed with UEFA President Ceferin the urgent need to set up a fund to pay part of the salaries of players severely affected during the epidemic.Messi: “If I don’t have money to help others, I’d rather receive nothing.” . The FC Barcelona player then met with the leaders of the European organization to try to find a solution for the players’ lost wages during Covid-19.

Gerard Piqué, who played for Barça, and Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) at the time, mediated the meeting. The former midfielder and national team conveyed Leo’s concerns – as well as those of other major league footballers – about the impact of the pandemic on the head of Spain’s football governing body. Nha, who initiated contact with Ceferin.

Sources from UEFA and RFEF told EL ESPAÑOL that during the meeting between Messi and Ceferin, Leo conveyed the urgency of creating a fund, above all, for the most difficult footballers and that he want “not to get paid without money”. “to help people.”

Creating a fund of this type would be legal, in addition to being something common. Without going any further, FIFA and FIFPro – the world football federation – agreed in February 2020, a few weeks before the outbreak of the pandemic, to establish the FIFA Football Players Fund (FIFA FFP ) to provide financial support to those players. which clubs owe contractual remunerations and who have no chance of receiving them.

Ultimately, the UEFA fund was never created. The players eventually took it upon themselves to negotiate with the clubs a partial postponement of their contracts, as was the case with FC Barcelona. Messi and Piqué as well as their other teammates reached a payment deferment agreement that in some cases, to this day, continues to be worked out. EL ESPAÑOL attempted to contact those involved but did not receive a response.

After the leaked recording on this matter, Rubiales did not want to make a statement to this newspaper although he assured that what is being done in terms of “diversion” of funds is a manipulation. “amazing” poverty.

During the pandemic, federations have received financial support from FIFA through a fund of more than 200 million euros. This amount is distributed equally to each federation, regardless of its size, which is mainly welcomed by smaller organizations. It is used to pay for medical supplies, such as masks, and to pay salaries, with the destination of the money subject to recognition by FIFA.