MADRID: Barcelona will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if FIFA tells it to release Argentine forward Lionel Messi for the Olympic Games, club president Joan Laporta said on Monday.

Laporta said the 21-year-old would leave with the rest of the first team for a preseason promotional tour of the United States on Wednesday.

Laporta added that the club wanted to "find a consensus solution that will suit both Barcelona and the AFA (Argentine Football Association)".

Barcelona said on its website (www.fcbarcelona.com) that it wants the player for the first leg of its Champions League third qualifying round tie scheduled for Aug 12.

It added that if the tie looked to be going clearly in its favor then it would release Messi for the final rounds of the Aug 7-23 Olympic tournament.

Source:China Daily