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Messi divorce: ‘bombshell’ fax signals end of era, legal fight at Barcelona Madrid (AFP) – Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi told Barcelona he wants to leave — on a free transfer — in a “bombshell” fax on Tuesday that is expected to trigger a legal battle over a buy-out clause worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Signalling the end of an era at Barcelona, where Messi is the record scorer and has won four Champions League titles, the disgruntled Argentine wants to terminate his contract “unilaterally” by triggering a release clause, a source told AFP. Relations have plummeted this year and speculation swirled about Messi’s departure after this month’s humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich, which left Barca without a trophy for the first time since 2007. The 33-year-old’s demand sparked protests against Barcelona’s under-fire president Josep Maria Bartomeu outside the Camp Nou where Messi, synonymous with the club’s most successful period, is worshipped by fans. “I don’t see him anywhere else. I can’t believe it,” said Ruben Tejero, 28, one of about 100 fans at the stadium calling for Bartomeu to resign. “I prefer to think it’s an ultimatum given to management for Bartomeu to go.” Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan are among those to have been linked to Messi, who is among the greatest players in history and has wages to match, with a reported weekly salary of nearly a million euros. – Drastic changes – Barcelona have yet to react officially but are understood to believe Messi’s release clause expired in June, and that he remains under contract until the end of the 2021 season. “In principle, this clause expired on June 10, but the unusual nature of this season disrupted by the coronavirus opened the way for Messi to ask to be released from his contract now,” wrote Spanish sports daily Marca. “It’s the first step towards opening negotiations over his departure, on the basis of which his release clause amounts to 700 million euros ($828 million).” Messi joined Barcelona’s youth academy at the age of 13 and made his debut in 2004 as a 17-year-old, before going on to score a club record 634 goals. But his future at Barca was thrown into serious doubt by the 8-2 loss to Bayern, the first time Barca had conceded eight goals in a game since losing to Sevilla 8-0 in the 1946 Spanish Cup. The defeat has sparked drastic changes. Coach Quique Setien was sacked after barely six months in charge, and sporting director Eric Abidal was also dismissed. According to Spanish media, Messi met with new coach Ronald Koeman last week and told the Dutchman he saw himself “more out than in” at the club. Koeman has vowed to “fight to put Barca back on top” and said at his unveiling he was hopeful Messi would remain at the club for several more years. But Koeman has reportedly told Luis Suarez he is no longer part of Barca’s plans, delivering a similar message to Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic and Samuel Umtiti. – ‘Rock bottom’ – “The club needs changes,” said defender Gerard Pique following the Bayern demolition. “Nobody is untouchable, least of all me. Fresh blood is needed to change this. We’ve hit rock bottom.” Argentine sports daily Ole described Messi’s wish to leave as a “complete bombshell”, but he has had regular disagreements with the club’s board in recent times. The Lisbon loss, Barca’s heaviest in Europe, exposed an ageing team that Messi repeatedly had said was simply not good enough. He said it in February and again in July, when a rant in the aftermath of handing Real Madrid the title turned into a brutal, but honest, assessment of their season. As his relationship with the club hierarchy grew increasingly strained, Messi also reacted publicly when Abidal appeared to blame the players for the sacking of Ernesto Valverde in January. He also led the fightback from the Barcelona players over a dispute with the board in March regarding pay cuts during the coronavirus pandemic. “Respect and admiration, Leo. All my support, friend,” tweeted Barca great Carles Puyol, a long-time former team-mate of Messi, to which Suarez replied with two applause emojis. Vidal also tweeted: “When you shut a tiger in a cage he doesn’t give in, he fights back.”

Madrid (AFP) – Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi told Barcelona he wants to leave — on a free transfer — in a “bombshell” fax on Tuesday that is expected to trigger a legal battle over a buy-out clause worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Signalling the end of an era at Barcelona, where Messi is the record scorer and has won four Champions League titles, the disgruntled Argentine wants to terminate his contract “unilaterally” by triggering a release clause, a source told AFP. Relations have plummeted this year and speculation swirled about Messi’s departure after this month’s humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich, which left Barca without a trophy for the first time since 2007. The 33-year-old’s demand sparked protests against Barcelona’s under-fire president Josep Maria Bartomeu outside the Camp Nou where Messi, synonymous with the club’s most successful period, is worshipped by fans. “I don’t see him anywhere else. I can’t believe it,” s...

From Ballon d’Or to abject humiliation: why Messi seeks pastures new Madrid (AFP) – When Lionel Messi won an unprecedented sixth Ballon d’Or in December last year, the speculation had already begun over his career at Barcelona. The 33-year-old Argentine footballing genius was increasingly unable single-handedly to rescue his imploding club, as he had done so often in the past. Barcelona, despite lifting the La Liga title, had collapsed at the end of the 2018-19 season, losing a 3-0 semi-final lead, including two Messi goals, to Liverpool in the Champions League. They then dropped the Copa del Rey final 2-1 to Valencia, where the Argentine was again on the scoresheet, this time though just a late consolation. But all that paled in comparison to Barca’s barren 2020, capped by a shocking humiliation in Lisbon. – Bayern embarrassment – The abject 8-2 quarter-final embarrassment against Bayern Munich in Lisbon 12 days ago meant a first season since 2007 without a trophy for Barcelona. It marked the first time Barca had conceded eight goals in a game since losing to Sevilla 8-0 in the 1946 Spanish Cup. But far more significant than that, it convinced the twinkle-toed talisman his final footballing years lay elsewhere. The fallout was immediate. Coach Quique Setien was sacked after barely six months in charge while sporting director Eric Abidal was also dismissed. Even the appointment of former Camp Nou fan favourite Ronald Koeman as head coach last week could not convince Messi to stay. The Dutchman has indicated he will embark on a clear-out and, at 33 years old, Messi must feel he doesn’t have time to wait until Koeman’s rebuilt Barca are able to challenge Europe’s elite. On Tuesday, Messi informed Barcelona he wanted “unilaterally” to terminate his contract by triggering a release clause, sending shockwaves across the world of sport. There will be no shortage of clubs eager to employ Messi, who could be snapped up on a free transfer, but the favourites look to be Manchester City, led by his former Barcelona mentor Pep Guardiola. They were close to European glory again this season, and the addition of four-time Champions League winner Messi could give the Guardiola the X-factor he needs to win the one trophy missing from the Manchester City cabinet. The growing turmoil enveloping Barcelona has been reflected in Messi’s diminishing statistics. Though he managed 31 goals in all games during the virus-interrupted campaign just ended, it was his lowest return since 2007-08, when he was just 20. – Irreplaceable – Barcelona have insisted in the past they had plans for coping with Messi’s retirement, whenever it came, but the truth is their number 10 is irreplaceable. He has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, winning a club-record 33 trophies, including 10 La Ligas, four UEFA Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups and six Spanish Cups. Equally effective as a mesmerising playmaker or lethal goalscorer, Messi holds the records for most goals and most hat-tricks in La Liga and has scored more than 700 senior goals for club and country. But his greatest year was long ago. In the 2011-12 season, under Guardiola, he became Barcelona’s all-time top goalscorer at just 24 years old, breaking Cesar Rodriguez’s 232 goal mark which had stood for 57 years. That year Messi netted a Liga record 50 goals on the way to a European all-time record season tally of 73, breaking Gerd Mueller’s 67 goals scored in the 1972–73 German season. Almost a decade on, Messi still harbours unfulfilled ambitions, including another Champions League crown and an elusive major trophy with Argentina to add to his 2008 Olympic gold. With time running out on a career that has seen a record six Ballon d’Ors and six Golden Shoes, those are major factors in convincing him to end his playing days away from the club that has been his home since he arrived as a 13-year-old.

Madrid (AFP) – When Lionel Messi won an unprecedented sixth Ballon d’Or in December last year, the speculation had already begun over his career at Barcelona. The 33-year-old Argentine footballing genius was increasingly unable single-handedly to rescue his imploding club, as he had done so often in the past. Barcelona, despite lifting the La Liga title, had collapsed at the end of the 2018-19 season, losing a 3-0 semi-final lead, including two Messi goals, to Liverpool in the Champions League. They then dropped the Copa del Rey final 2-1 to Valencia, where the Argentine was again on the scoresheet, this time though just a late consolation. But all that paled in comparison to Barca’s barren 2020, capped by a shocking humiliation in Lisbon. – Bayern embarrassment – The abject 8-2 quarter-final embarrassment against Bayern Munich in Lisbon 12 days ago meant a first season since 2007 without a trophy for Barcelona. It marked the first time Barca had conceded eight goals in a game ...

2020-08-25 Deportivo Municipal - Cienciano 0-1

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2020-08-25 Sporting Cristal - Alianza Lima 1-1

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2020-08-25 Deportivo Binacional - Academia Cantolao 2-3

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Ronaldinho arrives back in Brazil after Paraguay detention Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Former football star Ronaldinho arrived home in Brazil on a private jet on Tuesday, following more than five months in detention in Paraguay over a fake passport scandal. The former Ballon d’Or winner arrived at Rio de Janeiro’s international airport from Paraguay’s capital Asuncion just before 4:30 pm (1930 GMT.) A judge on Monday released Ronaldinho, 40, and his brother, who had both been held for a month in jail and another four months under house arrest in a hotel in Asuncion. The brothers arrived in Paraguay on March 4 because Ronaldinho was due to take part in an event in support of disadvantaged children. However, two days later, the pair were taken into police custody when investigators raided their hotel following the discovery they had fake documents. The former World Cup winner is now “free to travel to whatever country in the world he wants but he must inform us if he changes his permanent residence” for a period of one year, the judge said. “He has no restrictions except for the fulfilment of reparations for damage to society.” Dressed in jeans, a black beret and black shirt at Monday’s court hearing, Ronaldinho accepted the terms of his release, which include payment of $90,000 in damages. His brother Roberto de Assis Moreira, who is also Ronaldinho’s business manager, must pay $110,000. The judge stressed that he was not issuing a “definitive dismissal” of the case but that Ronaldinho was benefitting from a “conditional suspension of the procedure.” His brother was given a two-year suspended sentence. – ‘Vilely deceived’? – Prosecutors said they did not believe Ronaldinho took part in the plan to manufacture the fake Paraguayan passports but believed de Assis Moreira was aware that the passports were false. “They flagrantly used a public document containing false content,” said Marcelo Pecci, one of the public prosecutors, who said it was a “very serious” offense. Before Monday’s trial the public prosecutor said that Ronaldinho displayed no “personal characteristics or criminal behavior that… would put society at risk.” The defense issued a statement insisting on the innocence of both brothers, saying “the people they trusted deceived them vilely.” After being held in a police station in Asuncion, where Ronaldinho celebrated his 40th birthday on March 21, the two men had been under house arrest in a luxury hotel, on bail of $1.6 million. The investigation has since expanded into a case of possible money laundering and criminal association. Some 18 people have been arrested in connection with the case, most of them immigration officials or police officers. Ronaldinho, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, was crucial in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win. He played for European giants such as Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain during a hugely successful 10-year stint in Europe. He won the Champions League and two La Liga titles with Barcelona and Serie A with Milan. After returning home to Brazil he won the Copa Libertadores — South America’s equivalent of the Champions League — with Atletico Mineiro.

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Former football star Ronaldinho arrived home in Brazil on a private jet on Tuesday, following more than five months in detention in Paraguay over a fake passport scandal. The former Ballon d’Or winner arrived at Rio de Janeiro’s international airport from Paraguay’s capital Asuncion just before 4:30 pm (1930 GMT.) A judge on Monday released Ronaldinho, 40, and his brother, who had both been held for a month in jail and another four months under house arrest in a hotel in Asuncion. The brothers arrived in Paraguay on March 4 because Ronaldinho was due to take part in an event in support of disadvantaged children. However, two days later, the pair were taken into police custody when investigators raided their hotel following the discovery they had fake documents. The former World Cup winner is now “free to travel to whatever country in the world he wants but he must inform us if he changes his permanent residence” for a period of one year, the judge said....

Ronaldinho released from Paraguay detention after five months Asuncion (AFP) – Former Brazil star Ronaldinho was released Monday by a Paraguayan judge after five months in detention over a forged passport. Judge Gustavo Amarilla also released Ronaldinho’s brother Roberto de Assis Moreira, who also had been held for a month in jail and another four months under house arrest in a hotel in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, for the same charge. The 40-year-old former World Cup winner “is free to travel to whatever country in the world he wants but he must inform us if he changes his permanent residence” for a period of one year, the judge said. “He has no restrictions except for the fulfilment of reparations for damage to society.” Dressed in jeans, a black beret and black shirt, Ronaldinho accepted the terms of his release, which include payment of $90,000 damages. His brother, who is also Ronaldinho’s business manager, must pay $110,000. The pair are also expected to appear before a judge in Brazil every three months — Ronaldinho for a year and his brother for two. Amarilla accepted a recommendation by four prosecutors to avoid the need for an oral trial. “There is no indication that he has any personal characteristics or criminal behaviour that … would put society at risk,” the prosecutor said prior to Monday’s trial. Prosecutors did not believe Ronaldinho took part in the plan to manufacture the fake Paraguayan passports but believed de Assis Moreira was aware that the passports were false. The brothers arrived in Paraguay on March 4 without any issues, with Ronaldinho, the 2005 Ballon d’Or winner, due to take part in an event in support of disadvantaged children. However, two days later, the pair were taken into police custody when investigators raided their hotel following the discovery they had fake documents. After being held in a police station in Asuncion, where Ronaldinho celebrated his 40th birthday on March 21, the two men had been under house arrest for more than four months in a luxury hotel in the capital, on bail of $1.6 million. The investigation has since expanded into a case of possible money laundering. Some 18 people have already been arrested in connection with the case, most of them immigration officials or police officers. Ronaldinho, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, was crucial in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win. He played for European giants such as Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain during a hugely successful 10-year stint in Europe. He won the Champions League and two La Liga titles with Braca and Serie A with Milan. After returning home to Brazil he won the Copa Libertadores — South America’s equivalent of the Champions Legaue — with Atletico Mineiro.

Asuncion (AFP) – Former Brazil star Ronaldinho was released Monday by a Paraguayan judge after five months in detention over a forged passport. Judge Gustavo Amarilla also released Ronaldinho’s brother Roberto de Assis Moreira, who also had been held for a month in jail and another four months under house arrest in a hotel in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, for the same charge. The 40-year-old former World Cup winner “is free to travel to whatever country in the world he wants but he must inform us if he changes his permanent residence” for a period of one year, the judge said. “He has no restrictions except for the fulfilment of reparations for damage to society.” Dressed in jeans, a black beret and black shirt, Ronaldinho accepted the terms of his release, which include payment of $90,000 damages. His brother, who is also Ronaldinho’s business manager, must pay $110,000. The pair are also expected to appear before a judge in Brazil every three months — Ronaldinho for a year and h...