CAS: Barcelona can keep Messi away from Olympics
Barcelona do not need to release Lionel Messi for the 2008 Beijing Olympics football tournament, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Wednesday.
Werder Bremen and Schalke have also won their appeal to prevent Diego and Rafinha from going to Beijing.
Regardless of where you stand on the club v country debate, there are two important factors to consider here:
One, international football means a great deal to South American footballers and as we’ve discussed before, the Olympics are a big thing in South America. The players want to go and the fans want to see them at the Olympics.
Two, if the players get injured at the Olympics the impact will invariably be greater on the clubs rather than the country itself (replacing Messi for one tournament is easier than replacing him for a couple of months).
Both sides have valid points - though right now it seems that Barcelona will get to keep Messi away from the Olympics - hopefully he can stay fit for them throughout the season. So far Messi has been training with the Argentina team and taking part in all the training sessions.
The CAS verdict comes just one day before the men’s football tournament starts. More on the Olympics here.
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An Olympic medal is a great thing, but in football?
The two don’t seem to mix, do they?
I completely disagree with the CAS and Barca. Let the man play for his country. Let him win a gold medal, and let him have some glory. I hate that Barca are this selfish. I understand that they are about to start the season, and they need him, but its the beginning of the season! Make up for him missing a few games in the early part by winning in the latter part. Plus, there is a disparity between the top clubs in spain and the bottom. If they lose more than they win while he is gone, it won’t take them out of the running to win the cup. This opportunity only comes around once every four years, and players can only play in it once, maybe twice before they are to old. Let Messi live his dream of playing in the olympics and I think he will be happier at Barca if he is given the chance.
So frustrating for the player but also the fan of good futbol.
Really, I should applaud this decision as I am a fan of the US, and we will probably have to play Argentina, but I don’t think it is right for the club to squash a player’s dream.
wtf??
this is sad…
@Charley:
Barcelona are paying Messi’s wages so they have every right to prevent him from going to the Olympics.
However, I am glad that Barcelona have given Messi permission to play.
So what would/could the clubs have done if they had decided not to give permission but the players had stayed and played for their countries anyway?