Money has marked the management of Joan Laporta in his second stage as president of Barcelona. And he did it from the day he won the elections, when he hurried until the last minute to obtain in extremis the 124.6 million euros in guarantees that he had to present in LaLiga. Some endorsements that today are once again a headache for the Barça top manager, as is the name of the coach. Without the advice of Johan Cruyff, Laporta was never clear about his coach. He liked Pirlo, but he had no choice but to continue with Koeman until he got tired and looked for Xavi Hernández as a shield. And, since he also got fed up with Xavi, he now goes back to the beginning: without a coach, or liquidity. Firing his coach and staff has a cost of 20 million, a balance that, of course, he does not have. That’s where Laporta and company are: looking for money – they are considering asking for a loan of 100 million according to La Vanguardia – while waiting to resolve the contract with Nike and the imbroglio of the last lever, always latent the possible sale of players to balance the balance. Laporta’s emotional and personal management does not add up. Not in March 2021, nor in May 2024.
Treasury investigates. At three in the morning on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 10 days after Joan Laporta won the elections for the presidency of Barcelona, the Barça anthem was sung in the Diagonal Avenue office of the current president to celebrate. The reason for the celebration? They had obtained all the endorsements. It happens that the expenses incurred by the guarantee are borne by the directors, never by the club. Then, the members of the board opened a solidarity account to cover these expenses at Banco Sabadell, according to El Periódico. In that account, the company ISL Futbol Limited Liability entered 350,000 euros. It happens that that same company is Barcelona’s supplier. In fact, he organized two friendlies for Barcelona’s tour in the United States in 2021. The Tax Agency has opened an investigation into the income from that bank account.
Xavi’s novel. The day after El Periódico reported the tally of the endorsements, the club once again questioned the continuity of Xavi Hernández. Three weeks after Laporta, through tears, announced that the coach would fulfill his contract until 2025, the president sent the message that he would fire Xavi. A message that he claims not to have received. On Sunday, after the victory against Rayo Vallecano that sealed second place in the League that gives him access to the next Spanish Super Cup, Laporta, advised by his entourage, met with the coach after he had avoided him in the past Friday. The meeting was brief. Some sources define it as “correct”, others as “cold”. They do agree, however, that Laporta told Xavi that they would talk once the season ended after Sunday’s game against Sevilla. The Xavi case seemed closed. But Laporta opened it again.
The uncertain future of Nike. Laporta did not like the latest financial agreement with Nike signed by previous president Josep Maria Bartomeu. He was also not happy with the behavior of the American company which, according to the president, had carried out “non-compliance that was flagrant for the club.” The board, then, was willing to break up with the Portland company. He had spoken with Puma and even the club had considered the possibility of having its own brand. But, when it seemed that Barcelona was breaking its partnership with Nike that they have had since 1998, he changed the script. There is a new agreement on the table that would leave the club around 120 million annually, plus a renewal bonus of 100. With these figures, Barça hopes to close the financial hole it has in the current balance sheet. But the contract has not yet been agreed.
The last lever. In the summer of 2022, the word leverage became fashionable at Barcelona, the euphemism that Laporta used to talk about the sale of club assets. Barça transferred 25% of the television rights for the next 25 years to Sixth Street and also 49.5% of Barça Studios, the club’s content production company, to Socios.com and Orpheus Media. It turned out that both Socios and Orpheus did not complete their payments. According to them, what was agreed was to keep 10%. Then, in 2023, Barcelona sold the remaining asset again, 29.5%, now under the name of Barça Vision (Bridgeburg) to Nipa Capital (20 million) and Libero (100). Libero did not comply with the first payment of 40 million. Money that Barcelona had to make this financial year positive. According to the club, they will sue Libero.
Players in the showcase. This Sunday, after the victory against Rayo, several players returned with their families to the pitch of the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium to take photographs with their family and friends. Among them were Araujo, Raphinha and De Jong. It was the Barça team’s last game at home. The images had a farewell flavor, essentially because both the Uruguayan, the Brazilian and the Dutchman appear as possible transfers in the event that the club needs the money. But they don’t know their future, just in case they already have a photo of a hypothetical goodbye to Barcelona.
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