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La Liga chief: We’d have survived without Messi

La Liga had previously intervened in the dispute by announcing Messi's 700m euro release clause still applied, a statement later rejected by Messi's agent and father Jorge

Update : 08 Sep 2020, 10:22 PM

La Liga president Javier Tebas has said he was never seriously worried about the impact on the league if Lionel Messi had left Barcelona this summer. 

Messi admitted defeat Friday in his attempt to find a way out of Barca, insisting the club's president Josep Maria Bartomeu had "broken his word" over an exit clause in his contract. 

La Liga had previously intervened in the dispute by announcing Messi's 700m euro release clause still applied, a statement later rejected by Messi's agent and father Jorge. 

Tebas also said Messi's departure would not have affected La Liga's income from broadcast rights deals. 

The 2020/21 La Liga season begins Friday, with Granada against Athletic Bilbao. 

But last year's top four, including reigning champion Real Madrid, Barca, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are all sitting out the opening weekend.

They have been given longer to recover after their involvement in last season's European competitions. 

Matches will still be without fans as Spain wrestles with a rise in coronavirus cases in recent weeks. 

La Liga had hoped stadiums would be able to take a small percentage of their capacity in September but those plans have been shelved. 

The pandemic has had a huge impact on La Liga's clubs, with many suffering considerable financial losses from the lack of matchday income. 

Some of the biggest clubs have been the worst affected, with Real yet to sign a new player this summer while Barca are desperately trying to offload their most expensive assets. 

Several teams have also had to quarantine players who tested positive upon returning for pre-season.

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