Barcelona remove director Gratacos after Messi remarks

Barcelona removed Pere Gratacos as their institutional sporting relations director on Friday after he claimed that Lionel Messi "would not be as good" without his teammates. The club acted swiftly after Gratacos had made his comments about the man regarded widely as the world's best player following Friday's King's Cup draw in Madrid. "Leo is one of the most important people in the team, but it's not just about him," Gratacos told reporters.