Messi and Piqué: ‘Mutiny on the Instagram'

I spoke here yesterday about how players of this generation don’t recognize the authority of the club that pays them a wage. Today we have yet another demonstration of this. Neymar visited Barcelona for a family party and he invited several of his former teammates to join him. This, in itself, is quite normal. But this was on the same day that Barça had announced to sue the player (for more than 30 million euros) and this did not get in the way of Messi, Luis Suárez and Piqué hanging out with him and then posting gleeful photos on Instagram. It didn’t stop them; it spurred them on. Ahead of the formal declaration to file a lawsuit, these public displays of affection towards Neymar just mock the Barça board.

Messi, Piqué leading the Barça mutiny

It is difficult to pinpoint how they have reached this juncture. Something has to be getting done wrong, or very wrong, by those in charge when dealing with players for them to respond in this manner. But, has it been enough to deserve this slap in the face? This public ridicule of Bartoméu from the most symbolic of the playing staff seems to me to be so cruel. I wonder to myself what they can get out of this. Some time ago now, former Barça president Josep Lluís Núñez suffered that famous 'Mutiny of the Hesperia', where a group of players in the hotel of the same name, were demanding more money. Núñez didn’t take long to rid the club of almost all the rebels, but that was another time. Now the mutiny leaders are Messi and Piqué...

Real Madrid and Barcelona role reversal

And to Madrid, where things are going rather well, and the news reaching them of problems at Barcelona will be warmly received. The tantrum they had after TAD’s refusal to reduce the sanction against Cristiano evaporated upon seeing those photos, which signal a serious decay in the home of the blaugranas. The good times of Madrid flourish amid the turbulence in Barcelona, just as the opposite happened during the times of Guardiola, when Florentino brought in Mourinho to take over. Now Madrid look forward to the Bernabeu Trophy (it was a good idea to invite Fiorentina, evoking memories of the final 60 years ago) while in Barcelona every day seems to get worse than the preceding one.