Iniesta-Bartomeu row shows Barca’s cracks

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This article was published 08/09/2017 (2952 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Andres Iniesta and Josep Maria Bartomeu were pictured shaking hands on Thursday. As a gesture it was no doubt one of goodwill, and there is certainly some of that to be rebuilt, particularly — if not solely — on the part of the latter.

Barely 24 hours earlier, upon his return to Barcelona from international duty with Spain, Iniesta had told reporters, rather irritably, that he was yet to either sign or agree to a contract extension with the Catalan giants.

It was a troubling enough remark, what with the playmaker’s deal set to expire at season’s end, but it also pointed to the situation at Camp Nou, a set of circumstances too toxic for even the most congenial, well-meaning handshake to restore.

Naturally, the five-time European champions — headed by club president Bartomeu — would prefer to retain Iniesta, even if he is 33 years old and experiencing a slow yet noticeable decline.

After all, it’s a long way down from the very top, and the World Cup-winner will have something to offer for a few years yet.

Juventus, for one, are thought to be keen on signing him — something they’d be able to do for free next spring should his Blaugrana pact not be renewed.

At this point it’s quite conceivable it won’t be (as inconceivable as that may be). The reason for that — and likely for the delayed Lionel Messi contract as well — is the board-level dysfunction that is threatening to put a quick end to the most glorious period in club history.

Iniesta’s contract, or lack thereof, is just one exhibit in Barcelona’s gallery of embarrassment.

In recent interviews with Spanish dailies Sport and Mundo Deportivo, Bartomeu claimed he had reached an agreement in principle with his captain. He was lying.

“Can I confirm the beginning of a renewal agreement with Bartomeu?” a rhetorical Iniesta asked reporters on Wednesday. “No, I cannot. There is no truth to that.”

Ouch. And that he named Bartomeu specifically — harsh. This is a player, don’t forget, who has rarely had much to say in public. That is until this summer and a series of humiliations at Barcelona that piled on previous ones.

Late last month, Iniesta spoke candidly with El Pais, remarking the club sometimes gave the impression it didn’t value its longtime servants (namely he and Messi and, perhaps, previous president Joan Laporta) and admitting he had lately been thinking about his professional future for the first time.

Less than three weeks later Bartomeu lied to the press — twice. As if his reputation could sustain another hit.

He had already been left red-faced by Neymar’s high-profile and acrimonious switch to Paris Saint-Germain as well as a series of failures to replace the Brazilian and bolster the squad in the transfer market.

There was a series of botched approaches for Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho; PSG forward Angel Di Maria was missed out on as well. Julian Draxler, who also plays for PSG, said later he waited until the registration deadline for Barcelona to make a move for him; Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri thought he was headed to La Liga until he was notified the Camp Nou side had reneged on the deal at the last minute.

“This president is a joke,” Neymar stated on Instagram this week. It’s not an unpopular sentiment, and not exactly a new one, either.

As far back as 2014 the late Johan Cruyff, who both played for and managed Barcelona, was lashing out at Bartomeu and the board, telling El Mundo, “Those who know the least are those who are making decisions. Those who are leading are those who want to take advantage of football as a business.”

The Dutchman also advocated for former manager Pep Guardiola to return to the club following his time at Bayern Munich, but Guardiola remained adamant he would never coach the team again, “in principle.”

His principle probably concerned Barcelona’s administration, control of which had been passed from Sandro Rosell to then vice-president Bartomeu in January 2014 following the former’s resignation in the wake of allegations he had misappropriated funds during Neymar’s acquisition from Santos. A year later the club served a transfer ban for illegally registering underage players.

Cruyff’s concerns, then, were seemingly born out, and the Bartomeu regime continues to endure a credibility crisis. Agusti Benedito — a former candidate for the Barcelona presidency — has launched the process for a vote of no confidence. Messi is stalling on his contract extension; Iniesta could be gone by June.

Yes, Bartomeu visited the training ground Thursday and shook Iniesta’s hand. But it meant nothing. Barcelona’s administration is beyond the point of trust.

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