The long faces and the gestures of resignation in the bowels of the Lanxess Arena were explicit in the Blaugrana expedition after the painful defeat on penalties against Magdeburg. The players and Carlos Ortega showed their faces; no one from the club showed up. Those responsible for this week reserve to give explanations about a project with more uncertainties than certainties, under the sword of Damocles of the economic cuts imposed by the Laporta directive. This final four has exposed the seams of a project that is clearly weakening.
The Blaugrana handball managers balance to maintain a competitive block next year and at the same time meet the requirement to reduce the budget by 15%. In handball, the current 8.5 million will go from 7.2-7.5. “We will not reach 15% in the first year, and it will not only be with the reduction in wages,” detailed club sources. The bulk of the cut will come from salaries, basically with the departure of Ludo Fàbregas and the two-year salary of Luka Cindric, to whom the club has opened the door. They calculate that the overall salary savings will be around €400,000.
Given the silence of the club, Ortega had to act as spokesperson on how the cuts will affect the preparation of the squad: “Let’s hope it doesn’t affect us. I want the best squad possible, but we are conditioned by economics. I hope and wish that we get the minimum, and that we have the team that we think we have to try to get to Cologne again… It will possibly be more difficult, because the budget will drop and there are projects that are going up”, admits the technician in reference to the emerging powers, and observing how their squad weakens: they will lose the best pivot in the world, which the club replaces with two young Spanish promises, the starting center-back will be replaced by the Makuc-Valera couple, and… let’s see what happens with the goalkeeper and captain. “It is those who are in charge of the economic issue who must say where we have to throw”, he distanced himself. Eloquent.
Ortega’s reflection points to the person ultimately responsible: who decides in handball at Barça? The coordinator of the section, Joan Marín? Or the director of the area, Joan Solé? Or higher? It is vox populi that President Laporta receives advice from his deputy Enric Masip and from Valero Rivera. The previous managers, Barrufet and Pasqui, left a squad with a long history, which is still profitable (they signed Nielsen, Richardson, Janc, Makuc, Langaro and Frade). The latest signings are from the Valero Rivera Asesoramiento Deportivo factory: pivots Jaime Gallego (Torrelavega) and Javi Rodríguez (Logroño), and Pol Valera (Fraikin Granollers).
In terms of planning, Ortega assures that “it is clear”, that he is “working with Joan Marín” and that he knows “with which players” he will have next season.
Ortega had a hard time taking over the group. The 2021 Champions League reinforced his confidence, strengthened his credibility, but the coach has not been able to shield his authority: the club did not give him what he asked for, a second pivot in the first year, nor did he take over from Fàbregas, the Belarusian Artem Karalek (Kielce ), your preferred option. “I feel supported by the club,” he said yesterday. “If I would like to continue despite the situation? If there is a sports project, I will stay, of course. There is? That’s where I’m at, I want it to be. But you have to have clear numbers.”
Concluded the final four, it is still unknown if Cindric will continue. “I have a contract,” the Croatian was limited to saying. His departure is deemed irremissible to comply with the club’s financial fair play, but he still has a two-year contract, for an amount –according to some sources– of 1.5 million gross. That he should indemnify Barça. Those responsible for the section speak of prioritizing “proximity talent”, in the words of Marin, referring to the Valera-Makuc couple (curiously, renewed in February, until 2026, shortly after informing him that they did not have him) . And what does Ortega want? “As a coach I want to have the best players and Luka is a great player.”
The last hot potato that Barça has is the possible goodbye of the captain, Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas, whose contract ends in the summer of 2025. Tempted by Kiel, the 32-year-old goalkeeper lets himself be loved, thinking about his future as a professional for sign one last succulent contract, but at the same time, try to be valued with an improvement from Barça, where his salary is out of the market for one of the three best in the world. Ortega is understanding that he wants to improve his contract: “I understand that he would like to stay, but he has to look out for his economic well-being; If he has a fantastic offer and the club can’t match it, I fully understand why he thinks about leaving ”. In Cologne there was a serious doubt that Gonchi will not end his contract. Curiously, his agent is Valero Rivera, who is also an adviser to the president.
