When everything seemed quite on track for Joan Laporta to lead the delegation that leaves tomorrow for Qatar to meet with the owner of Al Sadd to close the transfer of Xavi, TV3 has announced that finally the Blaugrana president will not travel to Doha, delegating to the vice president of football Rafa Yuste, and to the director of football, Mateu Alemany, the responsibility of meeting with the sheikh and finishing the operation.
There is no doubt that this is a risky decision for Barcelona to say the least, because in Qatari culture, negotiations are always carried out between equals as a symbol of courtesy. Hence, the owner of Al Sadd, Mohammed bin Hamad, demanded a meeting with Laporta to release Xavi, who still has a current contract with the Qatari club until 2023, with a release clause much higher than one million euros. It is more of a formality and a show of respect than anything else, but in Doha it is considered very important in a negotiation.
Xavi reached a gentlemen’s agreement with the sheikh to be able to leave pleasantly, as long as Barcelona was the club that knocked on the door, and that the exit was made in an orderly manner and in the times set by Al Sadd. Hence, the coach had to agree to be in charge of the team in the last two QSL games before the break for the Saudi Cup. In addition, it happens that tomorrow he will play against Al Duhail, second in the table, so a victory would already distance six points from his immediate pursuer.
It will be necessary to see how the sheik reacts in the absence of Laporta, although in principle everything is already so on track that it seems difficult that it ends up breaking. In fact, as AS has been able to know, from Doha they have not yet ruled out that the Blaugrana president is reluctant and ends up leading the Blaugrana delegation.
