Messi Will Not Attend Barcelona Training On Monday

Lionel Messi will not take a planned coronavirus test on Sunday or attend training on Monday after his shock announcement earlier this week that he wants to leave Barcelona, Spanish media including La Vanguardia reported on Saturday.

Spanish sports paper Marca said Messi was “going to war” with his lifelong club by making the decision.

La Vanguardia reported Messi will send another burofax, the method by which he told the club he wanted to leave, to inform them of his decision not to attend the first training session under new coach Ronald Koeman.

A burofax is a service used in Spain to urgently dispatch a document through a certified email, which issues a digital certificate with legal validity.

The paper reported the letter will be signed by Jorge Messi, the player’s father and agent, and Messi has already told Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu of his decision.

According to Spanish media, lawyers representing Messi have said he does not need to attend training as he has already expressed his desire to leave the club.

Messi’s lawyers earlier in the week referred to a clause in the four-year contract he signed in 2017 which would have allowed him to leave the club for free, but only if he requested it by June 10.

They will argue that that date – nominally the end of the season – is now irrelevant after the coronavirus delays that led to the season’s extension and the team playing deep into August.

Reuters