Txiki Begiristain has confirmed that the club is still working on its intention of fielding Messi in the Champions League qualifying matches, and that therefore the player will not be going to the Olympic Games.
While speaking at Alexander Hleb’s presentation, the Barça director of football, Txiki
Begiristain, explained that the club is hoping the Argentinian will be available to play in the
Champions League qualifying match, even though the games clash with the Beijing Olympics.
Begiristain said that he was calling on the “Champions League spirit”.
“We are still talking to the relevant authorities. We are convinced we are right, and
what we want is for Messi to be able to play in the Champions League qualifiers. As we understand
it, we have the right to field the player, and we hope FIFA will agree with us on that. The Olympic
spirit is important, but so is the Champions League spirit” he commented.
Always the utmost respect
Joan Laporta also spoke on the subject, saying “we want to sort this problem out
in an agreed fashion … the club will be acting with due respect to all of the institutions
involved” and demanded that the club’s arguments be taken on board. “We are
playing in the Champions League qualifiers this year” he reiterated.
The Eto’o case
Another subject for discussion was the latest concerning Samuel Eto’o. Begiristain said
the club wanted to come to a mutually satisfying agreement with the player. “In an agreement
that both parties are happy with, it is him who has to come first” he said, while also
accepting that they were not counting out offers from other Liga clubs. In any case, Begiristain
said that Eto’o’s departure would “condition the arrival of a centre forward
… we wouldn’t want to end up with four centre forwards. That is not our idea” he
said.
Also on the subject of the Cameroonian, Joan Laporta explained how important it was to
“reconcile the interests of both club and player … Eto’o will be back on the 19th
and we’ll sit down together and look at whatever options are required. We have an excellent
personal and professional relationship with the player and his agents. We should be able to sort
this out calmly.”
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Squad shaping up
Txiki Begiristain guaranteed that “we are calmly working on possible departures” while
at the same “completing the squad … we are doing things calmly, taking the financial
and sporting situations into account, and always looking for the best option.” The director
of football added that “the squad is shaping up well … we can guarantee we will be
strong when the season starts.” Asked about future additions, Begiristain made it clear that
“if we present a new player, it will be an attacking one”.