Spanish court orders Barcelona to pay Matheus Fernandes £7.5m for unfair dismissal
Barcelona have been forced to pay £7.5million to their former midfielder Matheus Fernandes after terminating his contract via email.
The Brazilian – who played just 17 minutes of first-team football at Barcelona – decided to sue his former employers over their treatment of him.
He was frustrated at how the LaLiga giants axed him via an email and denied him of a proper unveiling ceremony when he signed for the club.
Fernandes – who joined Barca in January 2020 for £6m – was released in the summer of 2021 after making just one appearance as a late substitute against Dynamo Kyiv.
The 24-year-old midfielder was devastated to have been let go – having signed a five-year-deal that was due to keep him at the Nou Camp until 2025.
Fernandes was also frustrated with the way in which his contract was terminated and decided to sue to LaLiga giants as a result.
Fernandes instructed a group of lawyers – who initiated the lawsuit and demanded £13m from the club in compensation.
However, a court have decided against the £13m and instructed Barcelona to pay £7.5m instead.
When asked to discuss his departure from Barcelona, Fernandes said: ‘I didn’t know [about being released], and when they told me I couldn’t believe it.
‘I was at home, I was going out with my wife and I received a message from the club asking if I had the same email address. I confirmed and then received it.’
He went on to add: ‘I didn’t understand it [the dismissal], I sent it to my manager and lawyer. They said it was my dismissal.
‘Time passed and my name came out in the press. No conversation, nothing, they didn’t even call to say hello and goodbye.’
Fernandes finished by saying he had ‘always dreamed’ of playing for the LaLiga giants but said the reality never lived up to the dream as he ‘was not treated as a footballer’.
