Lionel Messi has come under a lot of criticism lately but FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has issued a public statement backing the Argentine star.
The Barcelona forward has been criticised lately for retiring from the national team at the age of 29 after losing out to Chile in the final of the 2016 Copa America last month. To add to that, Messi has recently been sentenced to 21 months in jail for three counts of tax fraud.
The ruling dished out to Messi and his father Jorge is a “suspended sentence” though, as the law in Spain states that any sentence of less than 24 months (for a non-violent crime) can be served under probation. However, the Argentina star’s legal representatives still announced several hours after the Barcelona court’s verdict that they will be appealing the ruling at the Spanish supreme court.
Barcelona president Bartomeu came out show his support for Messi and he tweeted saying that any attack on the 29-year-old would equate to an attack on the club and its long and illustrious history. He tweeted,
Leo, those who attack you are attacking Barça and its history. We’ll defend you to the end. Together forever!
— Josep Maria Bartomeu (@jmbartomeu) July 8, 2016
The club itself issued a public statement to show their support for their star player at an official press conference. Barcelona spokesman Josep Vives said, “We understand that Messi is not guilty in any way and has no penal responsibilities.
“We shall be at his side no matter what it takes. Messi has announced that he’ll be appealing and the club will be absolutely and unconditionally at his side when he does that. We see this as an attack on his person,” he further continued. [via Goal.com]
Meanwhile, Barcelona have also started a new campaign on social media to let the fans show their support for their biggest star. The club have started a new ‘hashtag’, to help the fans show their support for Messi.
“Using the hashtag #WeAreAllLeoMessi while posting a photo or message with both hands open, the campaign is encouraging all Barça fans to express their sympathy for the greatest footballer in the world by voicing their unconditional support on social networks,” announced the club in a statement, on their official website.
“By making it clear that #WeAreAllMessi, we want Leo to know that he is not alone. All members, supporters clubs, fans, athletes, media and everyone else are invited to participate,” the statement further read.
Messi has been at Barcelona for 13 years now, right from his days as a 16-year-old in the Barcelona C side. He has gone on to progress through the ranks at the club, later winning eight La Liga titles, four Copa Del Rey, and four UEFA Champions League titles with the club. He also became the only player to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or award five times, due to his exploits with the Catalan club.
However, his trophy haul with his national side Argentina remains poor despite the fact that he helped the Albiceleste to four major international tournament finals, stumbling at the final hurdle to Brazil in the Copa America 2007, and to Chile in Copa America 2015 and 2016, while they also faced a World Cup final defeat at the hands of Germany in 2014.
