FC Barcelona Ordered To Pay Mammoth Fine To Former Player Fernandes

FC Barcelona have been ordered to pay a mammoth fine to one of their former players, Matheus Fernandes, for unfair dismissal.

The Brazilian joined the Blaugrana on the last day of the winter transfer window in January 2020, when it was announced that the midfielder would arrive in Catalonia at the end of September after completing a loan assignment at Real Valladolid.

Fernandes agreed a five-year contract with the club, who paid Sao Paulo giants Palmeiras a fee of €7mn plus €3mn in add-ons for his services.

The deal raised eyebrows at the time and came under further scrutiny when Fernandes went on to make just one 17-minute appearance for Barca in the Champions League during a 4-0 group away win at Dynamo Kiev.

On June 29, 2021, Fernandes had his contract terminated by the Catalans and re-signed with Palmeiras who have since loaned him out to Red Bull Bragantino until the end of this year.

In the meantime, Fernandes appears to have taken Barca to the courts for unfair dismissal. According to outlets such as El Espanol and Que T’hi Jugues, the 24-year-old has come out on top in the dispute and is set to be awarded €8.5mn by president Joan Laporta and his board due to a decision made by the local justice system.

Thankfully for Laporta, he cannot take the full blame for the debacle surrounding Fernandes. Though he signed off on Fernandes’ dismissal, the bizarre original transfer took place on the watch of Laporta’s predecessor Josep Bartomeu.

The Fernandes deal is yet another example of Bartomeu’s mismanagement, which along with the pandemic plunged Barca into debts exceeding $1bn.

Barca have recently had judges rule in their favor, such as when brought in front of the courts along with former player Neymar, his first club Santos and the Brazilian’s family as part of a fraud and corruption trial that was thrown out late last year.

This week, Barca can look to recoup some of the money heading in Fernandes’ direction by making a strong push for the lucrative Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia set to be concluded with a final in Riyadh on Sunday.