02 September,2021 05:55 PM IST | Mumbai | Ronald Chettiar
Lionel Messi waves to his supporters after arriving in Paris to sign for PSG last month. Pic/AFP
Spanish League's managing director-India, Jose Antonio Cachaza has justified Barcelona's decision to let go of their talismanic superstar Lionel Messi and said the Argentine is past his prime.
Barcelona are one of the many European clubs that have headed towards a financial crisis by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Catalans let go of the Argentine after club president Joan Laporta admitted last month that they cannot afford to pay the star midfielder's high wages.
PSG were quick to sign Messi by offering him a two-year contract, in the process ending his 20-year association with the Spanish club during which he won 35 titles.
Cachaza said though it was difficult to see a player like Messi depart, he felt the league will continue to grow.
"Losing a player like Messi is never good news, but let's not forget that he is 34 and PSG has just offered him a two-year contract which was going to be the case at Barcelona too. Though we like to see his skills, the truth is, he is far from his best," Cachaza said during a virtual interaction.
La Liga's managing director-India Jose Antonio Cachaza
He added: "The same happened with Cristiano Ronaldo. When he left Real Madrid, he was past his best. If you compare Juventus' results before and after Ronaldo, it tells the story."
When asked if La Liga will see a dip in the viewership, now that they have no superstars to promote the league, Cachaza said it's the clubs that are important while players come and go.
"We have two of the best clubs in Real Madrid and Barcelona. Now Atletico Madrid too have a fan base all over the world. Fans have a relationship with the club regardless who plays," Cachaza said.
Also read: Lionel Messi makes PSG debut, but Kylian Mbappe steals show
Explaining further, Cachaza said: "According to a study, the club which has managed to retain most of their fans despite difficult seasons has been Manchester United, who hardly had superstars a few years back. Even when David Beckham and Ronaldo left, the fans continued to support the club. That tells you the story that the clubs are important. Real and Barcelona are rebuilding their squads. They will need a couple of years. And in future, they will have players who will appeal to the fans."
Cachaza also hit out at PSG for harming the football ecosystem by resorting to financial doping.
"The way PSG are flexing their financial muscles, it is harming football. They are not respecting the [UEFA] Financial Fair Play regulations. It is impossible to compare what they are paying to their players with the Spanish League. Our president [Javier Tebas] said that if you look at the numbers closely, PSG have increased their salary cap to 100m euros while the broadcast revenue [of the French League] has dropped by 40% and they too suffered economically like everyone else due to Covid-19. The state-owned clubs are acting under financial doping and they can destroy the ecosystem of football," Cachaza signed off.
