Atletico report Barca for illegal approach

– Atletico Madrid reported Barcelona to football’s governing body Fifa over illegal contact made to star forward Antoine Griezmann (right), Atletico club sources confirmed this week.

“The complaint has been presented for repeated contact between Barcelona, the player and his team,” an Atletico source said.

Griezmann renewed his contract until 2022 in June and Atletico consider contact made by Barcelona not only breaks Fifa’s rules, but could also affect the integrity of La Liga.

Barcelona lead the league with Atletico their closest challengers six points behind in second.

“He is a player under a long contract and this can’t happen. Moreover, the club considers that it could affect the competition where Barca are currently top and Atletico second,” added the Atletico source.

Should the Catalan giants be found guilty, they could be handed another ban on registering new players.

“We can confirm that we have received a complaint from Atletico de Madrid concerning the said matter,” a Fifa spokesperson said.

Barcelona-based sports daily Mundo Deportivo reported last Sunday that Barca’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu had recently met with Griezmann’s family.

The Catalan giants are expected to be willing to pay the French international’s €100 million buyout clause at the end of the season to avoid negotiating with Atletico.

Barca’s director of institutional relations Guillermo Amor turned down the opportunity to deny a meeting had taken place later last Sunday after Barca’s 4-0 thrashing of Deportivo la Coruna.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone accepted last week that Griezmann’s departure at some point in the future is inevitable.

“Of course Griezmann will be able to leave at some point, as Diego Costa, Diego Ribas and Arda Turan have gone,” Simeone told French sports daily L’Equipe. – AFP