Despite increasing revenues, Barcelona faces increasing financial problems. Revenue has been growing, from €297.3m in the 2006-7 season to €415.4m in 2009-10. However, expenditure grew even faster from €283.6m in 2006-7, which allowed for a small profit, to €486.9m in 2009-10. All this adds up to a loss of close to €80, in the 2009-10 season. Net debt has jumped from €291.7m in 2004 to €430.7m at present, in other words more than annual tu
Despite increasing revenues, Barcelona faces increasing financial problems. Revenue has been growing, from €297.3m in the 2006-7 season to €415.4m in 2009-10. However, expenditure grew even faster from €283.6m in 2006-7, which allowed for a small profit, to €486.9m in 2009-10. All this adds up to a loss of close to €80, in the 2009-10 season. Net debt has jumped from €291.7m in 2004 to €430.7m at present, in other words more than annual turnover.
Barcelona’s recruitment budget will now be limited to an annual €40m. Even that is a very substantial amount and excludes extra funds that couldbe raised through transfers.
It is often argued that clubs should be controlled by their fans, as is the case at Barcelona. But the financial results there show that this model is just as vulnerable to over spending in the purusit of success as clubs where business people are in charge.