They released him by e-mail. Now Barcelona must pay the former player €7.7 million

Barcelona have been ordered by a Catalan court to pay a hefty fine to their former midfielder Matheus Fernandes, who made only one appearance for the Blaugranas.

He played only 17 minutes for Barcelona’s first team, yet his former employer must pay him €7.7 million. The Brazilian has decided to sue his former club after they sacked him via email. Fernandes joined the Blaugranas in January 2020, but his only match is tied to a Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev. He came into the game for the final minutes.

Fernandes arrived from Palmeiras after a curious deal for €7 million plus €3 million in bonuses for former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu. He immediately went on loan to Real Valladolid, where he made only three appearances. His time at Barcelona has now proved particularly costly. Especially after he was never officially introduced.

The midfielder took his appeal to court when the club decided to terminate his contract in the summer of 2021. The email he received contained a message from the club’s physiotherapist informing him that his contract had been terminated. The Brazilian believed that this was a breach of contract.

Initially, the player’s lawyers had demanded damages of up to €14.8 million. However, the court said the amount to be paid was €7.7 million. Fernandes had a contract at Barcelona until the summer of 2025, but his deal was abruptly cut short by four years.

It comes as a fresh economic blow to Barcelona, whose financial situation is well documented and remains precarious. The club’s current wage bill is close to €600 million, but they will have to reduce their spending to €400 million next season to comply with LaLiga’s financial controls.

“I didn’t know about the sacking, I couldn’t believe it. I was at home, I went out with my wife and I got a message from the club asking if I had the same email address. I confirmed it and then I received it,” Fernandes explained to the Globoesporte daily.

He never received an explanation from Barcelona’s management regarding the decision. “I didn’t understand, I sent it to my manager and my lawyer. They said it was my statement. There was no conversation, they didn’t even call me to say goodbye. They didn’t treat me like a footballer,” the 24-year-old midfielder mentioned.

After leaving Barcelona, he rejoined Palmeiras, but even here he failed to make it big Matheus was then loaned to Brazilian team Atletico Paranaense, where he played 26 games in all competitions in 2022, but still failed to earn a place in the starting lineup. Before the 2023 season, Matheus went on another loan to Red Bull Bragantino.

Source: Twitter