FC Barcelona will hold the assembly of delegate members this Saturday, which, for the fourth time, will be held electronically, after those that took place on April 3, June 16 and October 9, 2022. “We have blocked the drain of those 200 million annually that the club has been losing since the 2017-18 season, so that the water does not continue to leak, because otherwise the club would not have viability. But our burden is debt. As of March 17, 2021, we had a debt of 1,350 million and now we have reduced it below 1,200. Satisfied? No, but we continue working,” said Eduard Romeu, economic vice president of the club, who analyzed and defended the accounts.
The club has closed the year 22-23 with profits of 304 million euros, a historic figure, although thanks to the contribution of two levers (the sale of 15% television rights for 400 million and the operation with Bridgeburg for the sale of 29.5% of the ownership of Barça Vision). “We are satisfied with this Bridgeburg operation because it gives us income that we did not have, while we did it out of necessity with the television rights,” argued Romeu, who, facing the next year, hopes that “the leverage concept will disappear.”
The financial year of the 22-23 academic year includes income of 1,259 million euros, while expenses have amounted to 1,165 million, 100 more than budgeted. Romeu broke down the game. “Sportswise there is an increase of 20 million more in sports salaries. And in the non-sports salaries item there is an increase of three million. There are more people, that causes more spending,” said Romeu after being questioned about why the executive salaries went from 3.7 million euros to the current five.
There is also an item of 255 million for management expenses. These correspond to the ordinary functioning of the club. “They are 57 million from BLM, 24 million from facility maintenance, 19 million from Seient Lliure, 17 million from travel, 15 million from LaLiga for television rights, 15 million from advertising and marketing, 15 from professional services, 14 from consumption and taxes and 13 million from the defunct Barça TV,” Romeu explained.
Asked about the allocation of the 171 million euros in "other expenses", the economic vice president pointed out that 25 million correspond to non-sporting amortizations, 35 to the opening of the Camp Nou, 58 to the losses in transfers of players like Griezmann , which was transferred to Atlético de Madrid for 20 when its price was 40. 37 million corresponding to a provision item, 8 million are from contributions to the foundations and there are another 7 million from late payments and debts from other clubs. “There is also 13 million in sponsorship intermediation and we owe 208 million euros to other clubs in terms of transfers,” Romeu added. The numbers will vary this course. Without the 400 million income from levers and with the exile to Montjuïc, which implies that the club will stop earning 78 million euros, the entity has budgeted income of 859 million euros, which includes the 25 million that the club would earn if reaches the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Regarding Libero, the German fund that had to pay 40 million in the reactivated Barça Media lever for 120 million euros, but that have not yet arrived, Romeu explained that “if it is not them, it will be others. We solve the club's priority with the approval of the board. “Now we continue negotiating,” he insisted.
The most relevant task is that the club hopes to stabilize the sports wage bill at 492 million – the lowest figure in the last eight years – compared to the 676 million cost last year. 402 correspond to the salary mass of the first team.
The budget also foresees benefits of 8 million euros. It would be the first time in two years that Barcelona would be able to close the season with a surplus without the so-called levers.
