Former Barcelona board member Xavier Vilajoana is calling on president Joan Laporta to reveal the actual reason Lionel Messi departed the club, questioning current financial justifications.
According to a report from Barça Blaugranes, Xavier Vilajoana, who formerly served on the board at Barcelona, has pressed Joan Laporta to “let us know the real reason why Messi was let go”.
The club president had previously maintained that Messi’s exit stemmed from financial constraints and the inability to register a new deal under La Liga rules.
Vilajoana countered: “Messi’s departure was based on financial reasons. It was said that the club couldn’t afford the best player in the world. If the reason was financial, I don’t see it anywhere now.”
He criticised the current administration’s management of the club’s funds, accusing it of “lying and hiding the figures for four years” and claiming that without asset sales Barcelona would have faced a loss equivalent to the first team’s value of one billion euros.
Vilajoana emphasised accountability: “If there isn’t responsible management, Barça has no future … The one billion figure is terrifying.”
Laporta, meanwhile, reiterated that Messi is always welcome at Camp Nou and stated he does not regret the departure.