Earlier today it had been said by Guardiola that Messi would not partake in Barcelona's preseason friendly against a select K League team, as he has only had one practice after a month of vacation. He felt it was unfair to put the player in a game situation so soon, and unsafe as he is more susceptible to injury without proper practice. When arranging the friendly it had been agreed that a "fine" of 200,000 euros would be paid by Barcelona if Messi did not feature for at least 30 minutes in the game. At first this was a price willing to be paid by Barcelona, but to make matters worse the Korean television station in charge of broadcasting the game said they weren't interested in going through with their assignment if Messi would not feature in the game.
As you all know Messi is a worldwide superstar. He causes as much excitement in Asia as he would in Argentina or Barcelona, and it's fair to say he is the most important player of Barcelona in the eyes of the countless fans girls and football fanatics. Broadcasting a game in which Messi plays means more viewers, and more money. An agreement was reached that meant Messi would indeed take part in the match, although it is still unknown if he will take part in at least 30 minutes. As Guardiola has said before, the needs of the club out way the needs of the players and even the great "Míster" himself. Guardiola had to give in to the needs of the club to sell Chygrynskiy (a player who even after a shaky season, had full confidence of the coach) to cover some of the surmounting debt, and now he must do again with risking the health of his prized possession so that this mini-Asian tour will take in as much money as possible.
So not only does this show a conflict of interests between the Korean organizers and the club, but also between the club and its coach. Needless to say, these are never situations you want even before the season has started.
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