Barcelona Face Possible Champions League Sanctions
Barcelona could face serious sanctions from UEFA, including a potential points deduction, after allegedly breaching financial rules for a second time.
According to a report in The Times, the Spanish club are once again under scrutiny for how they've presented their finances to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. The club had already been fined €500,000 last October for incorrectly including income from so-called 'financial levers' in their profit and loss figures.
Those levers involved selling off future earnings, such as a percentage of broadcasting rights, to raise immediate funds. One such deal brought in €267 million after Barcelona agreed to sell 10% of their La Liga TV rights for the next 25 years. However, UEFA ruled those profits couldn't count towards FFP limits, describing them as 'disposal of intangible assets'.
Clubs are allowed to lose up to €200 million over three years under FFP, but UEFA's financial control board had warned Barcelona that any further breach would result in tougher punishment. That could now mean squad restrictions for next season's Champions League, or even a points deduction in the new league-format stage of the competition.
Chelsea and Aston Villa are also under investigation, though both are expected to escape with fines as first-time offenders.
Chelsea are said to have sold their women's team to a related company in an attempt to balance the books – something the Premier League allowed, but UEFA may not.
Villa, meanwhile, reportedly spent more than 90% of their revenue on wages, breaching UEFA's squad cost cap, which will be fully enforced from the 2025–26 season.
For Barcelona, however, this is a case of repeat offending. Tags: FC BarcelonaFFPFinancial RulesUEFA
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