Champions League Ban Could Cancel Lionel Messi’s FC Barcelona Return

Lionel Messi’s potential return to FC Barcelona could be scrapped if the club is banned from the Champions League next season.

As confirmed through a statement on Thursday, European football governing body UEFA
EFA
has appointed Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors to “conduct an investigation regarding a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework by FC Barcelona in connection with the so-called ‘Caso Negreira'”, which is what the case concerning payments made to the Former Vice President of the Spanish Technical Committee of Referees Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira is known as in Spain.

Barcelona’s provincial prosecutor’s office charged Barca for “continued corruption between individuals in the sports field” last Friday. The day before this, reports spread of how there were “growing fears” behind the scenes at Camp Nou that UEFA could punish them with sanctions which affect Barca’s participation in European competition such as the Champions League next term.

Barca deny any wrongdoing and claim that the payments were made for consultation work. But UEFA can punish any club “if an activity has been committed to organize or influence the result of a match at a national or international level”, and it has the power to exercise a sanction “effective only for one football season”.

Considering their support for the breakaway European Super League alongside Real Madrid and Juventus, the continental authority might not go light on Barca if they are found guilty. And if the punishment were to be exclusion from the Champions League, this would not just have serious economic ramifications but may also impact Lionel Messi’s potential return to the club.

Messi becomes a free agent on June 30 when his Paris Saint Germain contract expires, and reports have spread that he does not wish to exercise the option of an additional year at the Parc des Princes that was included in his original deal.

This is allegedly because of the Qatari-backed giants attempting to reduce his salary suspected pay to him €30 million ($32.7 million) a year. Elsewhere, however, it is said that Messi is not motivated by money and is instead being pushed towards the exit door due to locker room squabbles and the lack of a competitive team capable of fighting for top honors in Europe.

Possible next destinations include Inter Miami in the MLS and Barca after Messi reportedly ruled out a switch to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

Yet if the Catalans are banned from the Champions League in 2023/2024, would their greatest ever player consequently cancel any plans he harbored of donning Blaugrana again?

It is a question worth asking, as though Barca cannot offer Messi the kind of salary PSG easily table, they have a strong squad on its way to a first La Liga title in four years thanks to a 12-point lead over defending UCL kings Real Madrid.

Xavi’s men could mount a decent challenge for the big-eared trophy in 2023/2024 with Messi in a new, deeper midfield role that has been earmarked for the iconic number ’10’. Yet not being able to provide a platform for four-time winner Messi to equal generational rival Cristiano Ronaldo and his haul of five may force him to head across the Atlantic or even renew with PSG.

Supposedly on the orders of the Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Ligue 1 outfit will return to Messi’s father and agent Jorge Messi with an improved renewal offer in the coming weeks after their new sporting project – which guarantees UCL participation – has been outlined.

If the Messis like the sound of it, and Barca fall deeper into a legal and sporting quagmire that temporarily throws them out of the European elite, we may never see ‘Leo’ play for Barca again.