LIONEL MESSI’S brother Matias has issued an apology to Barcelona fans following his comments on the club.
Matias declared Messi would never return to Barca, and if he did president Joan Laporta would have to be axed.
Messi was forced to leave Barcelona in 2021 with the club unable to offer him a new contract due to their perilous financial position.
The 35-year-old has been linked with an emotional transfer back to the Spanish giants when his PSG contract expires at the end of the season.
However, Matias claimed a return is not on the cards as he slammed the club.
On son Tomi’s Twitch stream, Matias said on Barca: “I have a SPORT [newspaper] clipping stuck in my house that says: ‘Messi should return to Barcelona’; and I subtitled it ‘hahahaha, we are not going back to Barcelona, and if we do, we are going to do a good cleaning. Among them, kick out Joan Laporta’.
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“People (in Barcelona) did not support him. People should have gone out to do a march or something, let Laporta leave and Messi stay. The Spanish are traitors.
“I tell you because I want it to come out of our guts and not listen to things that are not true.”
And Matias has now taken to Instagram to issue a grovelling apology for his words.
He wrote: “I want to apologise for what I said on social networks, I was just making jokes with my son and my friends.
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“How am I going to think that of a club as big as Barcelona and their history, which has given a lot both to my family and Leo?
“For us, Catalonia is our second home and that is well known.
“I’m very sorry and I apologise to everyone, especially the Barcelona fans.”
Barcelona president Laporta, who Matias openly criticised, has also responded to the comments.
He said: “Lionel Messi is part of this club’s heritage. He belongs to PSG. Out of respect, I will not speak.
“His brother has apologised and that’s it.”
Messi’s representatives were quick to distance the World Cup winner from his brother’s original comments, with a source telling SPORT: “Matias’ opinion is individual.
“It does not have to coincide with Leo’s or with that of other members of his family or those around him.”
Messi spent 21 years at Barca, winning 35 trophies during his time there, as well as six out of his seven Ballon d’Ors.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
