Story from Ramatu Muhammed, Abuja The Spanish La Liga on Sunday released a statement saying Lionel Messi’s FC Barcelona contract was still valid. The announcement came days after the Argentine’s shock announcement that he wants to leave the club and hours after he failed to attend a pre-season medical on Sunday. The ruling body said the only way for the Argentine forward to be released from the contract was to trigger a 700-million euros (833 million dollars) release clause. “In compliance with the applicable rule, La Liga will not approve a request to...