Barça in hock to Eto'o?
Published: 22 September, 2009, 17:39
Barcelona's Josep Gardiola (C) shakes hands with Inter Milan's Cameroonian forward Samuel Eto'o after their UEFA Champions League football match at San Siro Stadium in Milan on September 16, 2009. (AFP Photo / Christophe Simon)
FC Barcelona says Cameroon’s Samuel Eto'o is demanding 3 million euros from his former Catalan club as part of the deal under which he moved to Inter Milan, while Swedish Zlatan Ibrahimovic found himself in Barcelona.
The deal saw Ibrahimovic join European champions Barcelona for 46 million euros and Inter dumping 20 million euros into Eto’o’s move.
Eto'o bases his demand on a Spanish Footballer's Association rule that a player may be given 15 per cent of the amount of his transfer fee to another Spanish club. Barcelona reasonably argues it does not owe Eto'o anything, since the rule is an agreement between Spanish clubs, adding that the payment is the responsibility of a club that buys a player. However, in 2008, Deportivo La Coruna had to pay 2.1 million euros to Spanish striker Alberto Luque – the equivalent of 15 percent of his transfer to Newcastle in August 2005 for 14 million euros.
"We are going to defend our interests," the Barcelona official said.
Lawyers for both club and player are to meet in court in coming weeks to try to reach a settlement, however club officials said an agreement was unlikely and the case is expected to go to court.
Apart from two local crowns, Eto'o also claimed two Champions League titles with Barça, in 2006 and 2009, scoring decisive goals in both finals.
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