A miracle can save Barça from disaster… and optimism reigns in the offices for the first time | Relief

Barcelona’s financial problems have been a burden for several years. for the club: a difficult summer, markets in which it can hardly maneuver, last-minute emergencies to be able to register its players and small decisions to be able inclusion of football players in the La Liga system, even if it’s for a year to live on. All because of the famous usewhich Laporta presented and considered a solution, but the income of which has not yet arrived.

The Libero Fund barely received 20 of the promised 60 million, and this -40 seriously put pressure on Barça’s registration possibilities from June 15, 2023. that Barcelona had already been counted in favor and it is unclear who will install them. The libero certainly doesn’t seem to be. If this fails, both La Liga (as a registration) and the auditor (considering them losses) will create significant financial difficulties for Barça, from which in this case it does not seem likely to find a way out. out. In one fell swoop, it will lose 60 million students, i.e. In practice I couldn’t sign anyone.

But while all this risk is just around the corner, there is, for the first time, optimistic evidence among well-informed sources that Barcelona can resolve this process. WITH the construction of the new stadium and the business it would generate, in addition to the new contract with Nike, provided significant savings which the club has implemented over the past two seasons (closing Barça TV, cutting sections, sacking managers and implementing a policy of sharply cutting the wage bill), the expectation is that the Blaugrana will again be able to “catch up” in terms of increased economic control. It’s not easy for them, but this time it seems doable. 100 million and an important sale is the key to successan amount unaffordable for almost any club… except for one like Barcelona.

Of course, this is not easy: it is necessary to cover the hole from last year’s leverage of 40 million euros, as well as to cover the new payment, which will arrive on June 15, of another 60 million. That is, now they need an income of 100 million euros. And not just any income: it must be commercial, it is not worth selling a football player, no matter how profitable it may be.. Well, yes, no big deal, but this in itself will not solve anything unless Laporta closes the 100 million hole with extraordinary income, in addition to player sales.

dramatic numbers

In February 2024 The last time team caps were made public, Barcelona were valued at 204 million. (Real Madrid is 727 and Atlético is 303, for contextualization). That’s the amount he has to pay his entire staff and coaching staff… but that’s not even half of what it really costs him. In reality, the cost of these concepts is around 530 million, and this is the limit that he would have as a limit if he operated as a club again without being surpassed.

It may seem like any return is equal, but it’s not: the 1 to 1 rule comes back first, and then any player you sell will be a much bigger gain. And why isn’t it worth the same if the money comes in in the end? Well, because the 100 million that the repalanka team lacks has already been counted in favor. They’ll have to fill that hole and then start building.

Practical example. If I sold Ronald Araujo now (this is the one that seems more on the starting line) for, say, 80 million euros, since they are exceeded, the economic control rules will allow him to use only 20% of this money (that is, 16 million) and 60% of his salary (let’s say he earns 9 million, well 5.4). That is: for practical purposes, so that Laporta and Deco can strengthen the team, They could only count on 21.4 of the 80 million the Uruguayan would earn. And neither!!! Because if they are not among the 60 they should have as of June 15, 2024, the reduction of La Liga will no longer be about the personnel limit, but about the number of registrations. That is: mat. It would be impossible to sign no matter how many they sold.

On the other hand, if you find an investor, sponsor, extraordinary income… this will provide you with 100 million that will not be on your balance sheet as of June 15th, and also sell to a player (Araujo or the like, the sale is important), will recover Not only is this the $12 million personal guarantee that its managers provided last September to enable registration, but it will instantly ease the challenges of effectively renewing and terminating the contract. which is pending review.

What will happen if he doesn’t do this? Well, another market of deprivation… but worse. We have to find solutions in the market for players on loan or without a contract, conditioning their recruitment on low salaries (because they can’t afford others) and again between a rock and a hard place in negotiations with players with an existing contract and high salaries. salaries, that they will not have to put up with cuts “imposed” by the club, no matter how many difficulties there may be.

Eliminating the 100 million hole they have will save them from the fines they will have to impose from both La Liga and the auditor. Once there, a reasonable sale would leave FC Barcelona is in the position (more or less) it was in before the pandemic. In the world elite of clubs where he is not now. Now, in the offices of the Camp Nou, the line between disaster and financial heroism is thinner than ever. You need (another) miracle. Now it’s up to Laporta and his team to go out and play.