Barcelona have failed in their appeal against a fine from UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
La Blaugrana were levelled with a €500,000 punishment for misreporting ‘profits on disposal of intangible assets (other than player transfers) which are not a relevant income under the regulations’ back in July.
A further four clubs – including Manchester United – were fined slightly smaller sums at the same time due to FFP irregularities, but Barcelona’s breach was a unique case.
Barcelona were furious over their punishment and sought to appeal the decision, vowing to take the matter to the Court of Abitration for Sport (CAS) ‘if necessary’. UEFA have today confirmed that they have rejected Barcelona’s appeal against their fine.
Though their standing as one of the world’s most successful and important sporting institutions is unquestioned, Barcelona have struggled financially over the last few years.
The fiscal impact brought about by the coronavirus pandemic contributed to their inability to tie Lionel Messi down to a new contract within La Liga regulations in 2021, with the Argentine leaving to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
In the summer of 2022, club president Joan Laporta sold off various portions of Barca’s future revenue streams in order to fund their transfer activity. In 2023, they were limited to mainly signing players on free transfers or loan deals.
Most recently, Barcelona have been at the centre of the Negreira case, with the club alleged to have paid a former refereeing chief for information and analysis of match officials. Barcelona and Laporta have been charged with bribery by Spanish prosecutors in recent weeks.
UEFA intimated that Barca could be banned from entering the Champions League if they are found guilty of bribery or match fixing, though dropped threats to suspend their participation in this season’s competition over the summer.
While all this off-field drama continues to play out, Barcelona are also looking to fund the €1.5bn rebuild of their Camp Nou stadium and the surrounding areas.
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