Over the last three years, Barcelona have been embroiled in a legal battle with their former player, Matheus Fernandes. The 26-year-old signed in January 2020, but after failing to make any impact in Catalonia, this contract was terminated 18 months later, with the club stating that he did not have “the physical, technical level and attitude to be part of the squad”.
Upon having his contract terminated, Fernandes filed an unfair dismissal lawsuit. He initially claimed €14.8m, and although he did win the initial case, the fee owed was reduced to €7.7m. However, Barcelona appealed the verdict to the High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC), and the compensation was lowered down to €731k.
Fernandes demanded more, and he subsequently filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. However, El Confidencial (via MD) say that this has now been rejected, meaning that Barcelona will only be required to pay out the €731k, which is a saving of €7m from the initial case.
The Spanish Supreme Court has rejected Matheus Fernandes' appeal against FC Barcelona over 'unfair dismissal'. An initial €7.7M compensation was reduced to €731,000 by the Catalonia High Court. Signed for €8.6M in 2020, Fernandes played just 17 minutes for Barça before being…
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 6, 2024
There’s no doubt that Barcelona will be delighted with this verdict. Given the club’s severe financial problems, any saving that can be made is good news.
