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sports Diasabra 7 augustus 2021

Barcelona president: Keeping Messi was a ‘risky’ investment

(AP) — Money came be- fair play regulations. Laporta said Barcelona’s loss-
tween Barcelona and Lio- es doubled from about 200
nel Messi. He said he hoped the league million euros ($235 million)
would have been more flex- to 400 million euros ($475
Barcelona said the player ible with its rules but under- million). The club’s debt re-
wanted to stay. The club stood that it couldn’t make an cently was at more than 1 bil-
wanted the same. exception even if that meant lion euros ($1.2 billion), and
losing Messi. that wasn’t only because of
They even shook hands on a the coronavirus pandemic.
deal. “There are objective reasons
regarding the economical “There is no margin after
But in the end the club’s dire situation at the club and an a calamitous situation that
financial situation made it investment of that volume was all down to the previous
impossible. with the contract of Messi board of administration,” he
was risky,” Laporta said. “We said.
Letting Messi go was the wanted to assume those risks,
only way of saving the club, but when we realized the real Former President Josep Bar-
and just like that Messi’s era situation of the club after the tomeu resigned last year ing Barcelona into its most
at Barcelona came to an end. audit, it meant that we would along with his board of di- Laporta said new funding re- glorious years. He helped the
have put the club in great rectors amid his fallout with cently secured by the league club win 35 titles, including
President Joan Laporta said risk.” Messi and the club’s financial worth 2.7 billion euros ($3.2 the Champions League four
Friday that keeping the Ar- struggles. billion) would have helped times, the Spanish league
gentine star would be risky, He said Messi and the club but the club was against the 10 times, the Copa del Rey
and not even the great- did everything to make the The Spanish league has prid- deal because it would have seven times and the Spanish
est player in the world was contract work but it wasn’t ed itself in having some of the hurt the team’s broadcasting Super Cup eight times.
worth jeopardizing the club’s possible without hurting Bar- stricter economic controls rights revenues for the next
future. celona’s finances. The first for clubs in Europe, keeping 50 years. The 34-year-old Messi was
deal rejected by the league them from overspending and yet to make any public state-
“We think Barcelona is above was a two-year contract pay- going into heavy debt. With “We are not going to increase ments, and there was not im-
all,” Laporta said. “The club able in five years, and the sec- these controls it was able our salary limit by selling mediate news on his future.
is over 100 years old and is ond was a five-year contract. to create a much stable and our audiovisual rights for the Paris Saint-Germain was
above everyone, even above stronger league in the last few next 50 years,” Laporta said. considered the front-runner
the best player in the world. “There comes a moment years. “This decision would have to sign him after Manchester
The club goes over players, when you need to say been risky.” City coach Pep Guardiola all
coaches, presidents.” ‘enough’. You need to ana- Barcelona’s salary cap, which but ruled out the possibility
lyze rigorously with a cold is roughly proportional to League President Javier Te- of adding Messi to his squad.
Laporta spoke a day after the head and look at the num- 70% of a club’s revenue, was bas contested Laporta’s argu-
club announced the negotia- bers,” Laporta said. “And in expected to be slashed even ment and hinted that the new “Leo wanted to stay, so he is
tions with Messi had ended. the Spanish league we have to further this season. Laporta funding, which also has the not happy,” Laporta said. “We
abide by the rules. We think said for every 25 million the opposition of Real Madrid all wanted him to stay. But
Laporta blamed Barcelona’s they could be more flexible, club spends on a player, it has and still needs to be approved for him right now it’s a situ-
previous administration for but that’s not an excuse, we to make up 100 million in cap by the majority of the clubs, ation in which he has to con-
the club’s dire financial situ- knew the regulation. We space, which “is not an easy would be a solution to keep front reality. It’s a reality that
ation, which kept it from couldn’t abide by it because process.” He said the club Messi at the club. can’t be changed. I wish him
fitting Messi’s new contract of the inheritance we had.” was already at its limit with- the best wherever he goes.”
within the Spanish league’s out the Messi contract. Messi is leaving after lead-

Brazil Olympic skateboarding is tropical fairytale for girls

(AP) — No matter how ian Nicole Amaro plead- her skateboard, Deivison magical happened. From boys, but now things will be
much 9-year-old Brazil- ed with her dad to let wasn’t swayed. He was Brazil’s posh neighborhoods different for them.”
afraid she’d get hurt, and to its working-class favelas, in
held his ground. skateparks and empty parking Brazilians were first intro-
lots, a skateboarding frenzy duced to Rayssa Leal in 2015,
Then, when things seemed has taken hold. when a video showed the
hopeless, the impossible hap- then 7-year-old attempting
pened: Brazil was visited by a “My parents were worried, it a heelflip over three stairs
fairy. took time for them to agree. while wearing a blue dress.
But when they watched the She tumbled twice, but on
Nicknamed Fadinha, or Olympics, they realized it’s a the third attempt — wearing
“Little Fairy” in Portuguese, great sport,” Amaro told The wings — stuck the landing.
13-year-old Rayssa Leal be- Associated Press at a skate- American skateboard legend
came an overnight sensation park in Sao Caetano do Sul, Tony Hawk shared the clip
after winning the silver medal a wealthy city in Sao Paulo’s on social media, and what he
in the Olympics’s inaugural metropolitan region. She was called her “fairytale heelflip”
skateboarding competition. receiving her first two-hour went viral.
The board flips, slides and lesson and wobbling on her
grinds of Brazil’s youngest- board – with the blessing of Hawk and Leal have since
ever medalist drew as much a watchful Deivison. Eight struck up a bond, and on
acclaim as her braces-filled other girls and young wom- her social media — where
smile and happy-go-lucky en, aged between 4 and 20, her number of followers has
vibe — perhaps best embod- also rode around. surged into the millions —
ied by her shuffling “fairy she affectionately calls him
dance” while waiting to take “We nearly closed because Tio Toninho, or “Little Uncle
her final run. of the pandemic,” Braz said. Tony.” They met up in Tokyo
“Rayssa was a gift. Many girls and he joined her while she
And back home, something used to feel a little shy around trained.