Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 9:09 AM• Rian Rosendaal

The barbecue that Lionel Messi organized in his villa for the players of Barcelona on Monday caused quite a stir in Spain, as corona rules appeared to have been violated. Marca reports, however, that there are no new corona cases at the Catalan superpower, despite the much-discussed team outing. The players from the selection of trainer Ronald Koeman all passed a specially inserted corona test on Wednesday without any problems, it sounds.

Every club in LaLiga conducts a weekly corona test and Barcelona always subjects its players to the tests on Thursdays. However, due to the gathering at the barbecue in Messi’s home, the weekly test was brought forward one day. No player submitted a positive test, so Koeman could just organize a normal practice on Wednesday. Barcelona is in preparation for Saturday’s title cracker against Atlético Madrid. With four rounds of play in LaLiga ahead, the Catalans are two points behind the leader from Madrid.

Lionel Messi opens the doors of his villa for large-scale barbecue

The playmaker invited the entire Barcelona squad for a team outing.Read article

League organizer LaLiga reported on Tuesday that an investigation has been started into the barbecue organized by Messi, which may be in violation of the corona rules in force in Spain. Should the Spanish League’s COVID 19 protocol have actually been violated by the Barcelona players, LaLiga may refer the matter to the Spanish Football Association’s disciplinary committee. It is not yet known when a final decision will be made.

Barcelona emphasized earlier this Tuesday that it is a private matter and that the club has never been involved in the barbecue of the Barcelona selection. “This is a private matter,” said a spokesman for the Spanish title contender in a response to Cadena SER. “The players are tested for corona several times a week and therefore together form a bubble. We can therefore consider this barbecue as a lunch during working hours.”

About 40 people were present at the barbecue organized by Messi on Monday. Although the festivities took place in the open air, the corona rules of Catalonia have indeed been violated. At the moment it is not allowed to get together with more than six people in the open air. Indoors, the limit is currently four people. A source within the Spanish federation reports to ABC on Tuesday that violating the corona rules could have serious consequences for Messi and his teammates. “LaLiga protocols have been violated.”