It’s not hard to see how much trouble Barcelona have found themselves in, and it could get worse in the next few months. It’s quite surprising, considering how less than eight months ago, they were crowned La Liga champions following an incredible campaign, with Lewandowski scoring like never before.
Fast forward to now, and the club seems to be falling apart both on and off the pitch. Their head coach, Xavi, is leaving the club at the end of the season, and La Liga just hit the club with another tough move, which may further affect operations going forward. What a time to be a Barcelona fan.
Why did Barcelona suffer salary cap deductions?
Barcelona have been trying to keep their heads above the water for a few seasons now. The former president Bartomeu really screwed things up so badly that the club couldn’t afford to pay Lionel Messi’s wages, which led to the eventual departure of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Despite the obvious financial problems, Barcelona have signed some big names in recent seasons, with Lewandowski and Raphinha all joining for big money with huge wages. This hasn’t helped the club’s finances, and their dire situation has now forced La Liga to reduce their salary cap by £56.2 million from what they were given in the last general La Liga meeting in September, which may affect the club’s chances of attracting any big-name player in the foreseeable future.
Altogether, the club has seen a huge drop in the salary cap they had a few years which, which was reportedly €648 million. Barcelona will now operate with a salary cap of a smaller club, as this is lower than what’s available to Atletico Madrid and almost three times lower than the salary cap at Real Madrid.
Barca’s financial problems are the main reason behind this salary cap reduction. The club seems not to be making enough income to keep up with their current expenditure, which has landed them in a huge financial mess.
How much debt are Barcelona in?
Barcelona’s crazy financial mess could spell a long time of trouble for the club, at least for the next few years. There’s nothing they haven’t done to keep their finances regulated for La Liga rules, but nothing seems to be working anymore as debts continue to pile up for the Catalan club.
La Liga president Tebas admittedly warned Barcelona about finding a lasting solution to their financial problems. “It worries me, but it doesn’t worry me because I know the club has mechanisms that will allow it to get out of this state, Tebas said.
“Barca will have to adapt and see what the best options are to solve the problems. Some will be more aggressive and unpopular, others less so, and it is the leaders who will have to decide what is best for the future of the institution,” Tebas added.
Barcelona only brought Victor Roque in during the January transfer window, and the lack of funds may see another boring summer transfer window hit the club, which will make them less competitive in La Liga and also Europe. The sooner they can find a lasting solution to this, the better for the future of the club.
