Lionel Messi’s preferred posture is to turn the other cheek. In a career spent bearing thousands of brutal tackles, he has made a virtue of dignified stoicism. When Messi strikes back, his sport takes note.
The Barcelona captain had something urgent to get off his chest on Tuesday, a wrong that needed to be righted. His confrontation with Eric Abidal, Barcelona's director of football and a former Messi team-mate, carries heavy repercussions.
Abidal had given interviews to a pair of Catalonia-based sports newspapers, containing provocative statements, including suggestions that players had moved to have head coach, Ernesto Valverde, removed and an accusation that some in the Barcelona squad had lowered their work-rate.
Messi answered back, by posting an image of one of the published interviews on social media, a red ring drawn around an explosive Abidal quote: “The players were not satisfied, and did not work much.”
Messi challenged Abidal: “When you say things about players, you should name them because if you don’t, you are throwing dirt at everybody, and starting rumours that aren’t true.”
Messi had felt uncomfortable responding publicly to Abidal’s words. “Honestly I don’t like doing this sort of thing,” he posted, “but everybody has to be responsible for their jobs and their decisions: Players for what happens on the pitch, and we are the first to admit when we haven’t been good. The executives also have to take responsibility for decisions they make.”
A number of issues at the club have pushed a growing schism between dressing-room and boardroom out into the open.
The sacking of Valverde, who had guided Barcelona to two league titles in his two full seasons as head coach and had them top of the table – they have now slipped to second – when he was dismissed, was by no means a decision welcomed by a majority of senior players, least of all in the middle of a season.
And then there is Messi, who in a previous public intervention had subtly criticised the club’s failure to bring Neymar back to the club in the summer, and his own medium-term future.
Messi, the most important figure at Barcelona this century, has 18 months left on his current contract. Negotiations to extend it are ongoing, with a point of argument understood to be whether the 32-year-old commits to one further year or longer, as the club prefer. His bold rebuke to Abidal will spread alarm from the president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, downwards. Barca need Messi more than Messi needs Barca.
Bartomeu's mandate expires in the middle of next year, by which time elections for his successor must be held. And, assuming there those opposing his board’s suggested continuity candidate, the future of Messi and the success of the team will be factors.
Confidence in the current governorship is weakening, Valverde’s Barca having crashed out after giving away large leads in the knockout phases of the last two Champions Leagues and the defence of the domestic title looking brittle as an efficient Real Madrid consolidate after leapfrogging Barca in the table.
The haphazard management of major transfers – from Neymar’s 2017 departure and the will-he-or-won’t-he return; to the signings of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, two €100m-plus (Dh404m) underachievers; to the delayed arrival and so far low-key impact of Antoine Griezmann – has also diminished the authority of the governing junta.
Abidal is the fourth technical director in as many years. As various crisis meeting over the fallout of the Messi spat took place at the club on Wednesday, the position of Abidal looked more and more vulnerable.
Meanwhile Quique Setien, the coach appointed to follow Valverde, scarcely emerged feeling strengthened. Abidal had, in his interviews with Sport and Mundo Deportivo, addressed the awkward process by which Setien was appointed, apparently as third-choice after former Barcelona players Ronaldo Koeman and Xavi had been sounded out and said 'no'.
But Abidal challenged the idea Xavi, currently coaching in Qatar, had been approached and suggested Xavi produce proof ‘of an offer’, an incendiary idea given the popularity of Xavi among supporters and among current Barcelona players like Messi, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets.
Setien, not yet three weeks into his job and busy preparing for Thursday’s Copa del Rey quarter-final at Athletic Bilbao, acknowledged he needed to address the Messi-Abidal controversy with the players at practice. “We talked about it for a minute,” he reported. “Problems will arise at a club like this, but my job is to focus on the football.”
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
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Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Frida%20
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Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova
Rating: 3/5 stars
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
ASIAN%20RUGBY%20CHAMPIONSHIP%202024
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The Bio
Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees (oats with chicken) is one of them
Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.
Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results
During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks
Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy
Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it
Bournemouth 0
Manchester United 2
Smalling (28'), Lukaku (70')
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
