Barcelona will finally settle all due payments with former manager this week

Barcelona have finally settled their long-standing dispute with former coach Quique Setien, nearly three years after his dismissal. The club and Setien have agreed on compensation terms, which will see the payment spread across six instalments.

According to a report from SPORT, the final payment is due to be completed this week, bringing an end to the legal wrangling. This resolution marks the closure of a chapter that has lingered since Setien’s departure, allowing both parties to move forward.

Setien, who was in charge of the club for eight months in 2020, was sacked in August following the team’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. 

According to a report from the aforementioned outlet, the Catalan club wanted to avoid taking the dispute to court and finally reached an understanding with Setien.

How much did Barcelona pay?

Setien’s contract with Barcelona was originally set to run until June 2022. However, he was dismissed much earlier, shortly after the infamous defeat in Lisbon. 

If his contract had been fulfilled, the amount owed would have been significantly higher. Instead, the final compensation figure agreed upon was around €4 million, a reduced sum compared to what he could have received.

Quique Setien will have his final settlement this week. (Photo by CESAR MANSO/AFP via Getty Images)

The payment was structured into six instalments, and, according to reports, the last payment is expected to be completed this week, thus putting an end to the financial dispute. 

Setien had previously expressed his frustration to the media, stating in October 2022 that “Barça still hasn’t paid me everything it owes me.” 

His comments sparked more public interest in the matter, adding pressure on the club to settle the issue.

Setien’s time as Barcelona manager was turbulent, not only because of the results on the pitch but also due to his strained relationship with key players such as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. 

His dismissal led to a legal battle between him and the club, with Barcelona’s board at the time, led by Josep Maria Bartomeu, arguing that Setien had not met the expected objectives. 

Setien, however, believed this was insufficient grounds to deny him his compensation. The agreement between both parties has now resolved the issue, bringing the case to a close.