The new leadership around Laporta blames predecessor Bartomeu and his team.
The new management of FC Barcelona has made the former executive floor of the traditional club under ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu responsible for the desolate financial situation. “They signed players even though they knew they couldn't pay them,” complained General Manager Ferran Reverer on Wednesday when he presented the annual report for the 2020/21 financial year. Accordingly, the club, which belongs to the members, made a loss of 481 million euros.
This mountain came about because the income collapsed while it was not possible to cap the expenditure. It will take five years to financially reorganize the club, said Reverer.
Mountain of debt
The new club president Joan Laporta had already announced in August that FC Barcelona had accumulated debts of 1.35 billion euros and also indicated possible legal steps against the former club management. At the time, the club had just lost its best player, Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer because he could no longer raise his salary. The club from Catalonia, which used to be spoiled for success, has since been panting – also with ÖFB legionnaire Yusuf Demir – after a sense of achievement and has slipped to ninth place in the table.
Downfall in numbers
Expenditures rose by 19 percent in 2020/21 compared to the previous budget year to a total of 1.16 billion euros, said Reverer. On the other hand, revenues have decreased by 26 percent to 631 million euros. The restrictions imposed by the corona pandemic, especially the closure of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona and the club's other facilities, had led to a loss of revenue of 181 million euros, Reverer said. The income from the trade in fan merchandise and with TV rights has also fallen sharply, also because of the early exit from the Champions League.
