FC Barcelona senior manager Alfons Godall has resigned from his position at the football club after his controversial remarks slammed Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal.

Rafael Nadal may have written his name in the history books by becoming the first tennis man to win 21 Grand Slam titles, but not everyone is happy with his historic feat. A senior FC Barcelona official went public with his feelings on Twitter and his remarks created a media storm in Spain.

After Nadal became the historic owner of 21 Grand Slam trophies, Godall launched an all-out assault on him, dubbing him ‘the enemy of the state’ before revealing that Nadal’s success had bothered him for many years. Godall also referred to Nadal as ‘Navidad’ which means ‘Christmas’ in Spanish.

He added :

“I have him in the same group as La Roja [Spanish national football team’s nickname]Real Madrid, (Fernando) Alonso and everything that represents the enemy state.”

Godall’s comments were closely linked to his feelings about Catalonia’s status within Spain, as he and many other Barcelona officials have spoken openly about their support for the region’s independence. All entities mentioned in his tweets opposed such actions. It also doesn’t help that Nadal openly supports Real Madrid.

Upon his resignation, Godall wrote in a statement:

“I don’t want to cost FC Barcelona a penny or give up my freedom of expression. Therefore, I’m resigning from my job. Thank you!”