Barcelona hit with hefty fine over Matheus Fernandes improper dismissal case | OneFootball

Barcelona have been ordered to pay €8.5m to Brazilian midfielder Matheus Fernandes after finding the Catalan side guilty of improper dismissal.

Fernandes, now 24, joined Barcelona in 2020 but would go on to make just one appearance lasting 17 minutes before his contracted was terminated 12 months later, four years before it was due to run out.

The midfielder has spoken openly about his frustrations towards his time at Barcelona and the manner of his dismissal, even taking the Blaugrana to court to argue that the termination of his contract was unfair.

As noted by Cadena SER, Barcelona have been found guilty of improper dismissal of Fernandes and have been ordered to pay the midfielder a cool €8.5m.

Barcelona argued that they had the right to terminate Fernandes' deal because he allowed his fitness and performance levels to drop beyond a reasonable extent.

However, the physio report Barcelona used in their argument was signed by a trainer who never worked with Fernandes and would therefore could not fairly comment on the Brazilian's physical condition.

Barcelona have appealed the ruling, continuing to argue they were within their rights to part ways with Fernandes.

The club had attempted to sell Fernandes, for whom they paid €7m, but failed to find any buyers and ultimately took the drastic step of terminating his contract, which has since proven to be a costly decision for a club in deep financial struggles.