FC Barcelona over €1 billion in debt - Payments for Coutinho, Vidal & Co. still open
FC Barcelona have published their annual financial report and, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, have slipped much deeper into the red than previously feared. The club’s total debt for the 2019/20 accounting period amounts to the staggering sum of over €1.17 billion. € 730.67 million of this are short-term liabilities.
Losses due to the coronavirus crisis, players bought at a high price in previous years and, above all, the immense salaries are considered the main reasons for the high debt. The entire team budget alone amounts to around 74% of FC Barcelona’s income. The Catalans are also in debt to other clubs with almost €197 million because of outstanding transfer payments.
Complete list All of FC Barcelona's transfers over the years Click here for overview For example, Barça still owe almost €29 million to Liverpool for the transfer of Philippe Coutinho in January 2018, while long-term liabilities amount to around €40 million. In the cases of Frenkie de Jong (joined from Ajax in 2019) and Miralem Pjanić (joined from Juventus in 2020), the sums amount to almost €48 million and €53 million respectively. Even for players no longer playing at Barcelona, payments are still outstanding. For example, the Catalans still owe Bayern Munich €950,000 for Arturo Vidal. The same applies to Arthur (€13.5 million to Grêmio) and Malcom (€10 million to Girondins Bordeaux).
FC Barcelona will lose further income - Hope for deferred payment
There have been warnings since the fall that the traditional club could face bankruptcy. Negotiations between club and players about a salary cut of €190 million have not yet led to a final result. Barça’s intention is to be able to postpone the claims until at least June 30 of this year. Some of the creditors have already agreed to this.
Following the resignation of president Josep Maria Bartomeu, a new leadership has yet to be elected to tackle the financial crisis. The election was originally scheduled for last Sunday, but was postponed because of coronavirus restrictions. On the pitch, things are also not going well under Dutch head coach Ronald Koeman at the moment. After about half of the season, Barça are ten points behind league leaders Atlético.
It is unlikely that Barcelona’s economic situation will change quickly. Barça have anticipated a timely return of fans to the Camp Nou for the 2020/21 season, assuming in the report that 25% of seats could be sold from February on. This is more than unlikely in view of the current coronavirus situation. Thus, further planned income breaks away and the situation becomes even more difficult.
