For those who thought the Figo case was dead, here is an excerpt from onefootball.com. I did not post the entirety because the rest is posted elsewhere on the board.
Figo exposed - a deal done with Madrid?
Sunday 9th July 2000
Luis Figo is in danger of becoming extremely unpopular in Barcelona as his latest comments on a much touted move to Real Madrid utterly contradict statements he made to
a Catalan paper.
What has become known in Spain as the "Figo Affair" has now
turned into Figogate with the revelation that if the Portuguese star does not sign for Real and Florentino Perez becomes President, his agent will pay the "club blanco" £20 million.
"I have an offer from senor Florentino Perez and that is why I want him to win the elections," Figo is quoted as saying in Madrid based paper Marca a day after declaring he would be "mad" to enter an agreement with a candidate for the Real Madrid Presidency.
Marca has also revealed that they have seen at first-hand the contract signed by Figo's agent, Jose Veiga, committing the winger to Real despite the player's pledge of loyalty to Barca in Sunday's edition of Catalan paper Sport.
The document, dated 1 July, and signed by both Perez and Veiga categorically states that Figo will pay Perez £20m should he become President and not sign for the European champions. Additionally, the document asserts that Perez will pay Figo £20m in the event he becomes Real President and fails to sign him.
“I only wanted to avoid problems in Barcelona," said Figo in response to the interview he had given where he reassured the fans that he had not entered into any agreements and would remain a Barca player. "The atmosphere that was building up there was becoming very complicated for me.”
"I have always wanted to stay at Barcelona," Figo had said, promising to be at the Nou Camp for the first day of pre-season training. "I am a professional footballer and the five years I have been with the Catalan club have been very happy."
Figo admitted receiving an offer from Madrid, as well as from Lazio, but denied having signed any agreement Perez. "I am not crazy enough to have signed any pre-contract," he said.
Figo even went on: "Nunez has always refused to talk to me about my contract, even though I have never asked Barcelona to pay me what I have been offered elsewhere. Nunez knew I was willing to sign for less than I could earn at other clubs and I just wanted to talk to him but he has not made
that possible."
Should Lorenzo Sanz be re-elected as President, putting the ki-bosh on a Figo move, Veiga is believed to have prepared the way for the Portuguese playmaker to go to Lazio. The problem nonetheless remains that the star's buy-out clause is double for foreign clubs, a prohibitive £80m.
Both Barcelona Presidential front-runners, Lluis Bassat and Joan Gaspart, have promised to equal the pay deal on offer from Perez, but it is uncertain whether the fans be pleased to see a now surely fallen idol back at the Nou Camp.
