The waters have calmed at Barcelona following an emergency order, a win in the Clasico and their return to the so-called '1:1 rule', following a deal to sell more assets, in this case a percentage of their VIP seats at the renovated Camp Nou. However, Barcelona's squad has as many questions for president Joan Laporta as the rest of us.
At the height of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor's registration drama, it was reported that Barcelona manager Hansi Flick had been tasked with explaining the situation to the players. However, despite the German coach's best efforts, the Blaugrana side had little of the clarity they wanted – and were not going to get it.
The Barcelona president demanded that Laporta come and speak to the team personally to untangle the questions of a team with two teammates who could not play. Sport says he explained the moves he made and his reasoning behind them. Nevertheless, the Barcelona team had similar questions to the rest of the world, with one question in particular: why couldn't you have done all this sooner?
Their information is that Laporta's response was so bizarre that the players didn't even respond to it, completely baffled by Laporta, who was none the wiser.
The issue is also far from resolved: their fate will be decided in court, with a maximum delay until early April. Both could be out of action for the rest of the season at the end of February.
Following the tragedy, pressure has increased on Laporta, with rival groups calling for his resignation, and Laporta responded by calling those who question him the enemy. He also dismissed Raphinha's comments that he would think twice about joining Barcelona as misinterpreted, but it appears the players are losing a degree of confidence in their president.
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