Negotiations with UEFA to redirect funds
Recently, new controversies have arisen related to the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales. According to reports from The Objective, it was revealed that over a period of at least three months, former Barça players Gerard Piqué and Leo Messi, along with Rubiales, were involved in negotiations with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, with the aim to redirect funds from the European body to compensate for salary losses suffered by footballers due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Meetings and proposals
During 2020, several video conferences were held between UEFA president Messi, Piqué and Rubiales, in order to design a plan to redirect funds and benefit players affected by the health crisis. In one of the conversations, Rubiales proposed that a part of UEFA’s broadcasting rights be restructured to allocate 50% of the funds to compensate players for losses caused by covid. In addition, the possibility of a joint conversation between the parties involved was raised.
Relationship between Piqué, Messi and Rubiales
The close relationship between Piqué and Rubiales is known, which made it easier for the former president to keep Piqué and Messi informed in real time about the conversations. After a virtual meeting between the four involved, several messages of gratitude and management of the offer were exchanged, evidencing the close collaboration between the parties.
Ceferin’s preference for Barça
In the exchanges of messages, Rubiales mentioned Ceferin’s alleged preference for FC Barcelona over Real Madrid, which could have influenced the negotiations. This supposed preference is related to the tense relationship between Ceferin and the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, due to the initiative to create the European Super League outside of UEFA. These details were revealed in conversations between Rubiales and Ceferin in 2019.
Second meeting and subsequent proposals
After a second meeting between the four involved, the negotiations were temporarily stopped. However, in May 2020, Ceferin proposed a new meeting to draw up a strategic plan. The last contact recorded was in June 2020, where Rubiales assured the need to resume discussions about the funds (https://www.duplichecker.com/es/article-rewriter.php).
