FC Barcelona will celebrate this Saturday the meeting of shareholders, which, for the fourth time, will be telematic, after those that took place on April 3, June 16 and October 9, 2022. “We obstructed the drain of the 200 million annually that the club loses since the 2017-2018 season, so that the water does not continue to filter, because otherwise the club would not be viable. But our slab is debt. On March 17, 2021, we had a debt of 1,350 million and we have now reduced it below 1,200. Satisfied? No, but we continue to work on it”, said Eduard Romeu, the club’s economic vice-president, who analyzed and defended the accounts.
The club has closed the financial year of the 2022-2023 season with profits of 304 million euros, a historic figure although thanks to the contribution of two levers (the sale of 15% of 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 the Bridgeburg operation because it gives us an income that we did not have, while we did the television rights out of necessity”, argued Romeu, who for the next fiscal year hopes that “the leverage concept will disappear” .
The financial year of the 2022-2023 season includes revenues of 1,259 million euros, while expenses have risen to 1,165 million, 100 more than budgeted. Romeo opened the game. “In terms of sports, there is an increase of 20 million more in sports salaries. And in the item of non-sporting salaries there is an increase of 3 million. There are more people, this causes more spending”, said Romeu after being questioned about why executive salaries have gone from 3.7 million euros to the current 5 million.
There is also an item of 255 million management expenses. This money corresponds to the ordinary operation of the club. “They are the 57 million from BLM, 24 million for maintenance of facilities, 19 million from the Free Seat, 17 million in travel, 15 million from LaLiga’s amount 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 revealed.
Regarding the item of 171 million euros in the concept of “other expenses”, the economic vice-president pointed out that 25 million correspond to non-sporting amortization, 35 to the opening of the Camp Nou, 58 to losses on transfers of players like Griezmann, who was transferred to Atlético de Madrid for 20 when his price was 40. 37 million correspond to a provision item, 8?million are contributions to foundations and there are 7 more of delinquencies and debts of other clubs. “There is also 13 million in intermediation of sponsorships and we owe 208 million euros to other clubs in terms of transfers”, Romeu added. The numbers will vary this season. Without the 400 million in leveraged income and with the exile in Montjuïc, which implies that the club will no longer receive 78 million euros, the entity has budgeted an income of 859 million euros which includes the 25 million that the club would enter if it reaches the quarter-finals of the Champions League. As for Libero, the German fund that had to pay 40 million in the reactivated lever of Barça Media for 120 million euros but which has not yet arrived, Romeu explained that “if it’s not them, it will be others. We resolved the priority of the club with the endorsement of the board. Now we continue to negotiate”, he insisted.
The most relevant task is that the club hopes to stabilize the sports salary mass at 492 million – the lowest figure of the last eight financial years – against the 676 previous cost. 402 correspond to the salary mass of the first team.
The budget also foresees profits of 8 million euros. It would be the first time in two years that Barcelona would manage to close the season with a surplus without the so-called levers.
