Barcelona in autumn: failed Ronald Koeman, bad results, Champions League exit, big debts, weird La Liga decline.
Barcelona now: in the top three but chasing silver, Xavi has transformed the team, there are some improvements in the locker room financially. The last point is very important, because for some time there were doubts about the worthy existence of the Catalans. If you’re fed up with football betting, you may try some casino Kenya on 22Bet website.
What is going on with Barça’s finances now?
Everything is still very hard. Recently, the president of the club, Joan Laporta, honestly admitted that Barcelona were in a very, very difficult situation. What is the reason? The incompetence of the previous management. About him, I can say this: being at the head of the best club in the world does not mean that everything will always be fine. Sometimes even Barça can experience difficulties. But the previous leaders of our wonderful team did not think about its prospects. Their thoughts were entirely focused on themselves. We are cleaning up the chaos that we inherited.”
In fact, Laporta did not cut Barça’s debt much. Now it is hovering around the mark of € 1.3 billion. Positive notes are only in relation to the situation. Josep Bartomeu lived quietly with this debt and did not understand how to cover it. Laporta has a phased plan to restore Barça’s financial health. And it looks like this:
- Trainer approval for the long term. This is how Xavi became. Laporta said that this is an ideal candidate, because: a) he fully understands the philosophy of the club and shares it perfectly; b) received a lot of positive feedback from his environment; c) enjoys prestige among young players.
- Search for powerful resources for financing. The contract with Rakuten ends at the end of the season. At a certain stage, Laporta emphasized that the choice would be in favor of the title sponsor company that offered more. Barca had bold offers from companies from India, the United Arab Emirates, there were talks about interest from the EFE (works with crypto exchanges). But Barcelona chose Spotify.
Under a contract with the Swedish streaming service, Barca will receive € 75 million per year (insider Mundo Deportivo). In return, the club will place the company’s logo in place of the title sponsor and rename the stadium “Spotify Camp Nou”.
Further search for sponsors and investors. The same Mundo Deportivo writes that Barcelona are negotiating two expensive options and will place their logos in an additional place on the form. But so far, no specifics, although Laporta promised to surprise closer to the end of the season.