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Different class Transfer saga tarnishes image of Barcelona's Figo
A little more than a year ago, Nicolas Anelka decided he no longer wanted to play for Arsenal and offered his services to the likes of Real Madrid, Lazio and Juventus. His club did not give him permission to do so, but he nevertheless shopped himself around and reached verbal agreements with all three clubs before eventually signing for Real. For this, he was drawn and quartered, pilloried left, right and center and generally described in terms usually reserved for child murderers. Fast forward to this summer, and Barcelona's Luis Figo is doing a very similar thing. The Portuguese star has decided he wants to weigh up his options. He is under contract with Barcelona, but he obviously feels he might be happier or better paid elsewhere, which is why his agent, Jose Veiga, has been peddling him around Europe. Barcelona has no intention of selling him, but, like all Spanish-based players, Figo has a release clause in his contract that allows him to leave for a set fee.
That amount is US$57 million if he moves to another Spanish club and US$114 million if he goes abroad. This is why Veiga has solicited offers from no fewer than seven European clubs. Lazio and Real Madrid have offered the two best deals, with the Italian champion willing to ante up US$45 million over five years and the European champions ready to pay US$35 million over four seasons. Strictly speaking, because Figo is still under contract, he shouldn't be talking to anybody, but then again, these are just details. After all, any employee has a right to look around for a better gig. But there are a number of twists that make Figo's behavior a lot less palatable than Anelka's. For starters, Anelka made it very clear all along that staying at Arsenal was about as much fun as a protracted spell in the dentist's chair and that he desperately wanted to leave. Figo, on the other hand, continues to profess his love for Barcelona. On July 14, he announced that he hadn't signed a contract with anyone, not with Real Madrid, not with Lazio, and that he had every intention of staying at the Nou Camp. "I have made an irrevocable decision: I will not be a Real Madrid player," he insisted. "If any of the fans have felt upset or disappointed about what has happened I would like them to forgive me, but they should only believe what I say." Okay, so if we should only believe what Figo says, why did Lazio announce that it had reached a verbal agreement with Veiga last month? And, more importantly, why does Real Madrid president-elect Florentino Perez continue telling us that Figo will be unveiled as a merengue next week? Obviously, somebody is lying here, and given Figo's past you would wonder if it is his nose that is doing a Pinocchio routine right now. After all, this is the guy who five years ago signed two separate contracts with two separate clubs (Parma and Juventus) and was duly punished by UEFA. Further complicating matters is the bizarre side deal he reportedly struck with Perez and which the Real Madrid supremo keeps waving about. According to Perez, Figo and Real signed an iron-clad contract whereby Figo would move to Madrid this summer. If either party backs out, it must pay the other US$28 million. Perez candidly used Figo to get elected a few weeks ago. His main campaign promise was "Vote for me and I'll get you Figo." He even offered to refund the supporters' membership fees if he didn't deliver on his promise. Since refunding the membership dues would cost him around US$8 million, it made sense. If Figo didn't show up, according to the contract Perez claims to have signed, Real would stand to receive US$28 million, which, would have left it a cool US$20 million even after refunding the supporters. So what is Barcelona doing about all this? Understandably, the Catalan club is a little miffed. After all, it renegotiated Figo's contract only last summer, giving him a hefty pay raise. Alas, the club is itself in the midst of elections, further adding to the confusion. Both candidates, Joan Gaspart and Luis Bassatt (who, incidentally, has taken a page from the Florentino Perez Campaign Manual, promising to bring Zinedine Zidane, Emanuel Petit and Marc Overmars to the Nou Camp) have vowed to put up a fight to keep Figo. Gaspart has threatened to drag Figo and Real Madrid to court for the contract Perez claims to have signed. One would imagine that he would have a very strong case. Meanwhile, Lazio isn't fully out of the picture either. The Rome club is not about to shell out US $114 million, but it has put together an attractive package worth around US$70 million: striker Marcelo Salas, midfielders Dejan Stankovic and Ivan De La Pena and US$10 million in cash. So what's going to happen? It is difficult to say, but a lot will depend on whether Perez's private deal with Figo has any legal validity. If it does, it will set a very dangerous legal precedent, but it will also mean he will almost certainly sign for Real. If he stays at Barcelona or moves to Lazio, somebody will have to pay Real US$28 million. Since Figo doesn't have that kind of money lying around, either Barca or Lazio would have to stump up the cash, and it's unlikely they would want to. Barca isn't going to hand a bitter rival US$28 million just to keep a guy who is already under contract. And Lazio isn't going to turn Figo's transfer into a US$98 million deal. If the courts declare the agreement null and void (or if we discover it only ever existed in Perez's imagination), Figo will most probably make his decision based on financial considerations alone. It's unlikely he will stay at Barcelona unless he gets a new contract worth at least US$8 million a year. The club is due for a major rebuilding season, and, with Figo turning 28 in November, he will probably want to move elsewhere. So it will probably be down to whoever offers more money, Lazio or Real, and whether Barcelona accepts Lazio's US$70 million deal. Either way, Figo showed the world that he is motivated by money above all else. There is no point in being romantic and throwing out platitudes about loyalty and honor and attachment to club colors. These guys are professionals, their careers are short and it's only right that they think about their bank accounts. But at least he could have been honest about it. At least he could have shown a little bit of class. Figo is probably one of the top four or five players of his generation. As a player and a leader on the pitch, few can match him. It's a shame that this kind of behavior is tarnishing his image as a person. London-based Gabriele Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com.
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