A desperate attempt by Barcelona. It wanted to get money from Uefa for next year’s competition without knowing if it would qualify

Barcelona is in a critical situation. And although many fans are clamouring for expensive transfers, these only deepen the Catalan club’s crisis. So president Joan Laporta has resorted to the desperate step of asking for money from UEFA that he is not entitled to.

Much has been written about Barcelona in recent days. Its strange actions have reached such a stage that The Athletic, one of the world’s leading and most trusted newspapers, has decided to conduct a proper in-depth investigation into the club’s financial situation.

And the roughly 50-page report in the article will come as a nasty surprise to many Culés fans. The situation is critical. As president Laporta himself announced at a press conference last summer, Barcelona is drowning in debt of more than a billion euros.

As a result, the club’s management is trying to reduce the debt by selling off the club’s future by selling the TV rights for 25 years ahead, also the BLM rights (merch) and now the Barca Studios.

It is collecting around €800 million for these transactions, but has already spent more than €140 million on transfers. But even such an injection is still not enough for Barcelona to register new signings. So Laporta has resorted to a desperate move.

According to The Athletic, Barcelona asked the bank for a loan and wanted to use the expected future revenue from the Champions League TV rights from Uefa as collateral.

UEFA’s response was a resounding no. Uefa representatives explained to the Catalan club that they could not use the money as insurance as it was not certain that they would qualify for each edition of the Champions League.

Which is logical, after all, back in the winter Barcelona were still crouching in ninth place in the table and it was not at all certain that they would qualify for the European Cup. Counting on money to participate in a competition where you are definitely not guaranteed a place for the next few years is a very bold attempt.

However, The Athletic further reports that Barcelona officials were shocked by Uefa’s decision. Thus, the Catalan capital really believed that UEFA would come through for them.

If the Blaugranas are taking such desperate steps, it is no wonder that fans around the world are wondering how it is possible that Barcelona are the biggest spending unit in the world this transfer window.

Source: The Athletic