Barça's "salvation"

BarcelonaOne of the highlights of the election campaign was the book launch This is how we saved BarçaWith the support of Josep Maria Fonalleras and Jordi Finestres, Joan Laporta He has published with Ara Llibres his experience after five volcanic years in office The president now seeks to retain his position at the polls in a head-to-head contest against Víctor Font. The Barcelona lawyer took office in 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with ordinary income at a minimum, a closed and aging Camp Nou, and a football team with unsustainable salaries given the economic climate. Five years later, Lamine Yamal, Pedri González, and Hansi Flick have helped offset the sadness of seeing Leo Messi in tears, the stadium has reopened amidst ongoing renovations, and revenue has returned to pre-pandemic levels. The club, therefore, is not at risk of disappearing. However, its financial situation continues to raise concerns and pose challenges for the future.

After inflating the losses of the first financial year with a series of depreciations and provisions, the remedy that Laporta and his board found to resurrect the ailing club was to sell assets and outsource untapped businesses. These infamous measures served to replenish cash, plug part of the hole in the club's net worth, and generate salary space to sign such important players as Lewandowski, Koundé, and Raphinha Dias. However, this measure has also reduced future revenue—25% of the TV rights for the next 25 years have been forfeited—and has had a boomerang effect in the case of Barça Vision, which has become a black hole due to non-payments. In summary: in the first three years of Laporta's presidency, the club compensated for the lack of income and the excess spending with leverage, while in the last two, despite having balanced ordinary activity despite the exile at Montjuïc, it has posted losses due to Barça Vision and a UEFA fine for inc fair play Financial.

The challenges of 'fair play' and Espai Barça

The picture at the end of the term shows €230 million in accumulated losses, €1.45 billion in gross debt, and a negative net worth of €152 million. The sports payroll has normalized at €537 million, representing a very healthy 54% of the club's ordinary income, but it has an upward trend that will be reinforced if the first team wins the Champions League again. In fact, the fair play The financial deficit remains because the losses from the first year of his term are still weighing heavily on the current calculations. Laporta and former treasurer Ferran Olivé They assure that normality in this sense – the 1:1 norm – is very close when the 100 million euros from the seat transaction are fully collected. VIPOnly in this way can the struggles with player registrations cease, which in recent transfer windows have been largely due to long-term injuries such as those of Christensen, Ter Stegen, and Gavi.

On the other hand, regarding the accumulated short- and long-term debt, the figure stands at 1.451 billion, which caused the New York TimesHe defined Barça as "the most indebted sports club in the world." This amount does not include the massive loan agreement signed with Goldman Sachs to execute the Espai Barça project, 1.45 billion euros that the club refinanced a few months ago and which all indications suggest will It will have to expand before summer to be able to finish the third tier and the roof of the stadium. The next Barça president will also have to find financial solutions to build the new Palau Blaugrana, for which there is still no finalized project or foundation stone laid.