FC Barcelona appears to have started the season well with two victories over Valencia and Athletic Bilbao, two traditionally difficult sides. But the good start is overshadowed by the financial mess that is the Catalonian club, and which needs to be addressed, as well is putting in doubt these financial rules for big football clubs.
The entire financial situation is a mess as described in articles that can give a finer description of the details than I can. One immediate consequence that we see as fans is that FC Barcelona's salary ceiling appears to be too high, and they have this week been forced to let go of Ilkay Gundogan, the outstanding German midfielder who has returned to Manchester City after only one season at the Catalan club. While Barcelona also had to abandon trying to sign Nico Williams (whose partnership with Lamina Yamal would be a great asset), and need to find more savings to be able to be allowed to sign Dani Olmo from Leipzig.
While FC Barcelona and its accountants are trying to do do accounting acrobatics to stabilize income amid the rebuilding of the Camp Nou and closing a debt gap of nearly one billion USD, one has to wonder how a club like FC Barcelona has gotten itself in this situation...
It appears to be years and years of financial mismanagement as the "socio" structure: the club is owned by members of the FC Barcelona society, where anyone can become a member by an application and an annual fee. These socios elect the members of the board and the President of the club in democratic elections.
It is a model that is also used in Real Madrid, and has set the clubs apart less as "money machines" to an illusion of them being representatives of a community and working for that community.
But this is obviously an illusion as these clubs elect presidents who appear to have limited interest in the financial stability of the clubs, and perhaps more importantly, limited knowledge of what financial stability means. Because FC Barcelona, its socios, and its fans appear to have to face the truth that their club is bankrupt and that if it is not to be punished by being disqualified from European football and punished in La Liga (the latter being less likely), they need to find investors with real money who can save the club.
As was seen with Valencia, this may not work, but it seems to be that the club either accepts a new ownership structure or accept a few seasons where the priority is to rebuild the finances at the cost of lower positions in the league.
I would prefer the latter if I were a fan. They still have a solid team that will play high level, if not fighting for trophies, as they rebuild. But that is exactly what seems to be unacceptable for anyone in this side, who prefer to live the illusion of democracy and great football.
As a football fan it is a pity, but FC Barcelona have brought themselves into this situation.
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