Barcelona spared ₦12 billion fine after beating allegations in court

Barcelona have scored a major victory in their legal battle with former player Matheus Fernandes, saving themselves from a potential financial hit of ₦12 billion (€7. million).

Brazilian midfielder Matheus Fernandes was signed in January 2020 but failed to make a single league appearance and had his contract terminated just 18 months later.

This sparked a lawsuit from Fernandes, who claimed unfair dismissal and initially demanded a hefty payout.

Fernandes initially won his case and was awarded €7.7 million, but Barcelona swiftly appealed the verdict to the High Court of Justice of Catalonia. The appeal paid off, as the court reduced the compensation to €731,000, a significant drop from the original demand.

Fernandes wasn’t satisfied with the reduced amount and took his case to the Supreme Court, seeking a larger sum. However, the Supreme Court rejected Fernandes’ appeal, meaning that Barcelona are only required to pay the €731,000, saving them a whopping €7 million (around 12 billion naira).

With Barcelona’s well-documented financial issues, avoiding such a large payout is a major win for the club.

Every Euro saved is crucial as they continue to navigate their way through tough economic times that saw them struggle to register new signing Dani Olmo this summer.

The decision brings an end to a long legal battle that could have drained even more resources from the already strained club coffers, which the Catalans will certainly now be grateful for.

Rather than being forced to pay out a wrongful dismissal claim to a player who only appeared once for the Blaugrana in all competitions, Barcelona can inject the funds into more pressing areas of the current squad.