They have one foot in the Champions League final, they're in the final of the Copa del Rey and they're two points clear of Real Madrid with three games to play in La Liga. Barcelona are on course for another incredible treble but there's something that could stop them in their tracks.
All Spanish football is set to be suspended indefinitely from May 16th over a dispute which largely revolves around TV rights. The dispute has been brewing for quite some time but it has come to a head at the worst possible time.
Last week, a law was approved to introduce regulation into the TV rights negotiations which have long been weighted heavily in favour of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Players in the lower leagues are not happy with the payment they receive and a strike was being mooted. It's slightly more complicated than that but that's at the heart of the matter.
Instead of a strike, the decision has been taken to suspend the final two weeks of the season with the Copa Del Rey final between Barca and Bilbao also in doubt.
That could also mean that La Liga ends up unfinished and without a champion. All in all, it seems unlikely to happen, but it is a possibility. So even if Lionel Messi is unstoppable in the pitch, there's always some off pitch politics to take him down.
[BBC]
