Barça cancels trip to Japan the day before leaving on tour

BarcelonaLess than 24 hours before Barça was scheduled to board a charter flight to Japan to begin its Asian tour, the club issued a statement. To everyone's surprise, it announced that the team would not travel because the match against Vissel Kobe on Sunday was canceled. The reason, according to the club, was "serious breaches of contract by the promoter." For now, the team is staying in Barcelona and will decide in the coming days whether to resume the tour in Korea, where it was scheduled to play two more friendlies, or to cancel it altogether.

The announcement came just minutes after Marcus Rashford left the Barça store. The English striker had just signed his contract with the Catalan club, where he will play on loan until the end of the season, and made his first press appearance with his new club. At that moment, he also assumed he would be leaving for Japan with the rest of his teammates the following day. Finally, he is scheduled to train at 10 a.m. at the Ciutat Esportiva.

"It's a financial issue. We haven't been paid. It's a very serious violation, and that's why we've decided not to travel," Barça sources told ARA. "We can't just travel there as if nothing happened and not be paid for the match as scheduled," they added. The same sources explain that this is not a new situation, but that the money should have been paid into the treasury some time ago. The club has been persistently demanding them, and has finally decided to stand firm. The company in question is D-Drive, based in Seoul, which had previously done business with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) under the presidency of Luis Rubiales. In fact, one of the company's directors, according to the newspaper Sport, is Albert Luque, former player and former RFEF executive.

D-Drive confirms the money hasn't arrived but blames another company

Minutes after Barça's statement, the company issued another one confirming that it was the tour's promoter but clarified that the match in Japan was originally proposed by the Yasuda Group, which is, among others, the main sponsor of Real Sociedad. "D-Drive was scheduled to receive full payment for the match today (Wednesday), but the funds have not arrived. Instead, the Yasuda Group has provided invalid and falsified documents, deceiving us by falsely claiming that payment had already been made." It also says it has evidence of "intentional fraud" and, therefore, believes Barça "did the right thing" by canceling this match against Vissel Kobe.

For now, the club will remain in Barcelona, and Flick will continue with his preparations for the start of the season while the teams pull the strings to restart the tour. There were two other friendlies scheduled, this time in South Korea, against FC Seoul (July 31) and Daegu (August 4). Barça explains that the fees for playing these matches have been paid, but the problem is getting to the Asian country. Thus, a large charter flight is being sought to carry the entire expedition next week. "It's not an easy task, but we will try," Barça maintains.

"FC Barcelona regrets this incident and the impact on the large community of Barça fans in Japan," Barça concluded the statement. At this time, the club has not provided details of the financial impact this will have on the club's coffers. Overall, the tour was expected to generate at least 15 million euros, and if certain variables were met, the revenue figure could reach 25 million euros. If Barça ultimately cancels the tour, the club could reduce the preseason to a single match, the Gamper match on August 10 against Como. However, an additional match could be scheduled for the coming days. According to ARA, Olot has contacted the club and offered to play a friendly this weekend, behind closed doors. For the moment, they are considering it.

Rashford's debut will have to wait.

Therefore, Marcus Rashford's debut in a Barça shirt will have to wait. The signing was confirmed this Wednesday, although everything had been in place for a couple of days. The player had already arrived in Barcelona, passed his medical, and been introduced to his teammates. But the club preferred to wait to make it official until the loan agreement was signed with president Joan Laporta. Rashford will play at least one season for the Blaugrana, who have reserved a purchase option valued at 35 million euros.

"I was clear that I wanted to come to Barça," explained the English winger, who has taken a 25% pay cut to fit into the Catalan club's financial possibilities. He will earn around 14 million gross. "I've wanted to come since January. But I couldn't and went to Aston Villa, where things went well and I'm grateful. Now I've been able to come, so the decision was easy," Rashford stated in his first press appearance as a Barça player. "If there's one thing that characterizes me, it's my ability to adapt to different styles of play. I'm confident that this will also happen here. Perhaps it will take me some time, although I hope it's not too long."

The winger, who has already spoken with Hansi Flick, has lavished praise on Barça, its history, and its model of "beautiful play." He has set himself the challenge of winning the "most important" titles and believes that this is "easier" to achieve at Barcelona, especially because in this locker room he will be surrounded by "very young and promising" players, whom he will try to complement with his "talent."