The Barcelona management envisions an unflattering scenario for its coffers. The club, not surprisingly, has bled financially from the coronavirus crisis to the point of being able to reduce the salary of its footballers by 70% after tense negotiations. Now the entity chaired by Josep María Bartomeu faces a new challenge full of doubts: What would happen if they were proclaimed league champions?
After the Government of Belgium and the Netherlands announced the end of their respective leagues, this scenario is far from alien to the culé board, since they would see with some suspicion that they were made champions without playing because at the same time they would be strangling them financially.
After winning the League and Super Cup last season, the Barça Assembly of Committed Partners knew in the accounts that 85,314,000 euros were spent on bonuses to the players. Barça, for the short part, would have to pay 60 million in premiums to their players if they are finally proclaimed champions causing a total collapse in the club’s coffers.
Because as much as they try to convey tranquility, at Barça they are very aware that they have not yet finished paying Dembélé (105 fixed and 40 in variables), Coutinho (120 fixed and 40 in variables) and Griezmann (120 fixed) and that on June 30 many millions of cash from the fractionation of the payment of said incorporations will come out.
That is why Barça urgently needs to deposit money and how soon before to avoid having to ask creditors for credit. The club would be losing a good financial sum if the 11 pending League games were not held and this account would amount to almost 100 million euros for various reasons.
TV is the only thing that can save them
The leg that would suffer most for the Catalans would be television. The club would stop receiving 45 million euros for the broadcast of their league games, in addition to what they do not receive from UEFA – which is governed by sporting results – this season. In addition, Bartomeu and his team would lose a game of 33 million in tickets. Of that money, 18 million would go to the partners as compensation for the return of their subscription and 15 are from the box office not entered. And all this without counting the income by VIP area and Hospitality that contribute 20 million annually and that would subtract six from the annual accounts.
As you can see, the Barça club crosses their fingers so that the competition returns and be able to save 45 million television revenues. It would be the only thing that can prevent them from having to take out a loan to pay your players’ bonuses if they finally win the league. Barça’s accounts are as complex and complicated as the puzzle of managers who have gone through the Bartomeu era.
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