The father of Lionel Messi has touched down in Barcelona ahead of crunch talks over his son's future, telling reporters "I don't know anything, guys".
Jorge Messi, who also acts as his son's agent, landed at Barcelona airport Wednesday morning on a flight from Argentina for a meeting with club president Josep Bartomeu, one of the most important in Barcelona's history.
He is expected to confirm that his superstar son wants to activate a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for free before the 2020/21 season.
Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font believes there is little hope of Messi changing his mind about leaving the club.
The club dispute the claim saying the clause expired on June 10 - with La Liga also releasing a statement saying his contract was still valid - but Font is not optimistic about convincing Messi to stay another year.
"I really hope the decision can be changed," Font told Sky Sports. "It doesn't seem likely, though ... if that's the case, the focus should be on making the transition as smooth as possible.
"Messi loves the club and he wants to win, he wants to compete. He has been saying this for many, many years, it's not just been for a few weeks.
"Unfortunately the club has not been able to deliver on the promise of building a competitive team."
Messi, 33, last won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015 and a 8-2 humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last month was the final straw for the six-time world player of the year.
Messi, who failed to turn up for pre-season training on Monday, had previously labelled his side "weak" and "inconsistent" after surrendering the league title to rivals Real Madrid.
The club has spent millions on players in the transfer market who have not come good in recent years and transfer strategy is something Font hopes to change if he is elected president.
"Currently you have the president, the chairman of the board and even some directors making decisions about signings, about selling players and that needs to be changed," Font, who hopes to succeed Bartomeu in elections next March, added.
"That's why we've been working on a project and we need people to lead that who come from the world of football."
One player definitely leaving Barca is Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic, who rejoined Europa League holders Sevilla on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
Rakitic enjoyed a trophy-laden six-year spell at Camp Nou during which Barca won four league titles, four Copa del Reys, the Champions League and Fifa Club World Cup.
Spanish media reported the 32-year-old, who had one year left on his contract, was not part of new Barca coach Ronald Koeman's plans for next season.
"Sevilla FC and FC Barcelona have reached an agreement for the transfer of midfielder Ivan Rakitic, who will return to the club for a second spell after his first spell at the club between January 2011 and June 2014," Sevilla said.
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
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ICC T20 Team of 2021
Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
match info
Athletic Bilbao 1 (Muniain 37')
Atletico Madrid 1 (Costa 39')
Man of the match Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao)
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: Volvo XC40
Price: base / as tested: Dh185,000
Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4
More on animal trafficking
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
UAE Team Emirates
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)
The Disaster Artist
Director: James Franco
Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogan
Four stars
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
