Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

Pique, Umtiti in a fix as Barca probe defenders over Griezmann deal fallout

Barcelona defenders Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti are in a fix after the highly anticipated move of Antoine Griezmann to the Catalan club took a sensational fallout.

Pique, Umtiti in a fix as Barca probe defenders over Griezmann deal fallout

Barcelona, June 21: Barcelona defenders Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti are in a fix after the highly anticipated move of Antoine Griezmann to the Catalan club took a sensational fallout.

The French international Griezmann announced his decision to stay at Wanda Metropolitano in a documentary. The Barcelona board have got Pique and Umtiti on the radar to probe their involvement that affected Griezmann’s decision.

The centre-back duo landed themselves in trouble after some social media activity that didn’t please the Barcelona hierarchy. The Frenchman was reportedly going to announce his move after the World Cup but instead signed a contract extension till 2023 with Atletico Madrid.

Griezmann revealed it in a documentary on Movistar Plus, which was produced by Pique's investment company Kosmos. Following the broadcast, Pique tweeted his thanks to Griezmann, wishing him well for the future at Atleti, and has since been forced to defend himself, claiming he had no involvement in Griezmann's decision other than to suggest it be filmed.

Griezmann’s compatriot Umtiti did a bit of harm by sharing the documentary on his social media channels. Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre expressed his displeasure with Pique's actions, as well as those of Samuel Umtiti for promoting the documentary on his social media.

"We will speak with [Pique] and Umtiti internally after the World Cup about what happened but we won't make any more public comments," he said.

"We feel bad for the supporters who have felt disappointed with the way it happened. The president spoke with Pique to tell him that his involvement provoked surprise and discomfort at the club and among supporters.

"We respect Griezmann's decision to renew (contract) with Atletico as we respect any player's right to choose their future.

"We want committed players who have decided they want to be a success here above anything else."

Barcelona had no idea that such a documentary was even being processed with Griezmann, especially after months of follow-up and contact with the French star. What was more shocking was that Gerard Pique had some sort of an idea about this and kept the club in dark about this.

Pique has often landed in trouble with his social media activity in the past, most notable being the 'Se queda’ tweet during Neymar transfer saga and the famous emoji jibe at Real Madrid following Madrid’s expulsion from Copa del Rey.

Story first published: Thursday, June 21, 2018, 23:38 [IST]
Other articles published on Jun 21, 2018