by ldh2013 » Thu Jun 30, 2016 8:35 am
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lionel Messi criticized a Barcelona vice-president on Friday for saying the Argentina forward didnt deserve a better contract. . Javier Faus, the vice-president in charge of Barcelonas finances, said two weeks ago he didnt see a reason to further extend Messis contract. Last year, the club extended the 26-year-old Messis contract through 2018. "Mr. Faus is a person that doesnt know anything about football and wants to run Barcelona like a business, which it isnt," Messi told Catalan radio RAC1. "Barcelona is the best team in the world and deserves to be represented by the best executives. "I remind him that neither I nor any of my representatives have asked for a contract extension at any moment, and he knows that very well." Messi is Barcelonas all-time leading scorer and a four-time world player of the year. He is in Argentina recovering from a hamstring injury and expected to return to Barcelona in January. Messi rarely speaks about the business side of his career. This is the first time he has openly criticized an important board member of the club he joined when he was 13 years old. Besides a series of injuries, Messis season has also been marked by legal problems. Messi and his father Jorge are being investigated for allegedly not paying all their taxes. Messis father made a payment of more than 5 million euros (then $6.6 million) on Aug. 14 to cover alleged back taxes and interest. Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes called for calm and downplayed any conflict between the club and its most valuable player. "We are all pulling in the same direction in this club," Valdes said. Even so, it appears that a better deal for Messi could be in the works. Barcelona president Sandro Rosell said on Thursday he had not spoken to Messi about his contract, while adding "but my door is always open. I have no doubt that the best player in the world deserves to be the highest paid." . Canucks head coach John Tortorella announced Tuesday that both Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows are listed as day-to-day and will not travel with the team to play the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday and Thursday night. .C. -- The agent for wide receiver Steve Smith says the five-time Pro Bowl selection has played his final snap for the Carolina Panthers. .Russian security was tight at the Sochi Olympics this year, though it was not immediately clear whether Putins comments would signal a different approach for the soccer tournament.EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings have signed draft picks Anthony Barr, Scott Crichton and Antone Exum to contracts. The Vikings signed Barr, the ninth overall pick, and Exum, a seventh-rounder, on Wednesday. They announced the deal for Crichton, a third-round pick, on Thursday. Barr, a linebacker from UCLA, is expected to immediately upgrade a position group that struggled to makke big plays last season. . He had 23 1/2 sacks in two seasons for the Bruins after making the switch from running back. Exum is a safety from Virginia Tech and Crichton is a pass-rushing end from Oregon State. He had 7 1/2 sacks for the Beavers last season. The moves leave third-round running back Jerick McKinnon as the only player unsigned from the Vikings 2014 class. ' ' '
