Xavi vs Laporta war: LaLiga president breaks his silence | OneFootball

Javier Tebas speaks out on the Lionel Messi controversy between Xavi and Laporta

Xavi vs Laporta war: LaLiga president breaks his silence

In an interview with La Vanguardia, Xavi made explosive revelations in the past few hours this Monday. He explained that Lionel Messi's return was blocked by Joan Laporta. These comments have gone down badly, enough to prompt a reaction from Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga.

Not only is Xavi’s claim difficult to verify unless Lionel Messi himself speaks out, but the revelation also comes during the election for Barça’s next president and just hours before the Champions League round of 16 first leg against Newcastle.

While Laporta defended himself at a meeting on Monday by criticizing his former associate, Javier Tebas also broke his silence that same day. The LaLiga boss directly contradicted Xavi’s statements. “The league never gave the green light or financial backing to a potential Messi signing by Barça. The truth is, no one at Barcelona even asked for information about Messi’s situation (in 2023), no one inquired. We first wanted to know Messi’s salary demands in order to comply with FC Barcelona’s financial fair play rules, which were very complex at the time. We also needed to know the conditions of his arrival, because given his extremely high market value, signing him was very difficult.” said Javier Tebas.