Messigician
Senior Member
It would be the most jaw-dropping legal case in the history of the sport, and The Athletic spoke to two Spanish legal experts to get the lowdown on the reasoning behind each parties? respective positions. Agustin Amoros Martinez is one of Spain?s most respected sports lawyers and an expert in Spanish labour law. He has worked on cases at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and is an associate for the Ruiz-Huerta & Crespo legal practice, run by Juan De Dios Crespo, who has previously advised the Messi family on specific issues. Francisco Dominguez runs the sports law department at DTR Abogadosin Barcelona. The two lawyers have given their opinions on hypothetical scenarios.
To take the case from the beginning, what exactly is a burofax?
A burofax is not, in fact, a throwback to a bygone era where companies ? or football clubs ? corresponded by fax machines. Amoros explains: ?This is a certified letter that normally includes proof of receipt by the recipient. It certifies the content and means the sender has evidence of the exact letter sent to the addressee. It is similar to recorded delivery in England.? In short, therefore, the burofax means Messi?s legal representatives can say without doubt that the club have received the content and are able to act upon its wishes.
What exactly is Messi trying to achieve?
On the surface, Messi is making an attempt to leave Barcelona by formally seeking to invoke a clause that allows him to be released from his contract a year before its expiry. The date written into the contract, according to widespread reports, is June 10. However, football locked down along with the rest of society in spring during the global pandemic. As such, the football calendar changed. Therefore, Messi would argue that he is entitled to invoke the clause further down the line at the end of the playing season in August.
To take the case from the beginning, what exactly is a burofax?
A burofax is not, in fact, a throwback to a bygone era where companies ? or football clubs ? corresponded by fax machines. Amoros explains: ?This is a certified letter that normally includes proof of receipt by the recipient. It certifies the content and means the sender has evidence of the exact letter sent to the addressee. It is similar to recorded delivery in England.? In short, therefore, the burofax means Messi?s legal representatives can say without doubt that the club have received the content and are able to act upon its wishes.
What exactly is Messi trying to achieve?
On the surface, Messi is making an attempt to leave Barcelona by formally seeking to invoke a clause that allows him to be released from his contract a year before its expiry. The date written into the contract, according to widespread reports, is June 10. However, football locked down along with the rest of society in spring during the global pandemic. As such, the football calendar changed. Therefore, Messi would argue that he is entitled to invoke the clause further down the line at the end of the playing season in August.