Barcelona fined by UEFA for FFP breaches

Barcelona have been hit with a €500k fine for breaching Financial Fair Play rules during the 2022-23 financial year.

Reuters report that the Blaugrana have lost their appeal against the fine, after they were found to have misreported their income. The UEFA Control Body concluded that they had included income from non-tangible assets in their accounts submitted to UEFA that are not players sales, and not relevant to the FFP calculations.

While not a dramatic financial hit, it is far from ideal for Barcelona, who are struggling to spend within La Liga’s financial controls as it is. The income that was misreported likely pertains to their sale of assets, including TV rights and a percentage of their image distribution subsidiary.

For Barcelona, the main battle is to do with the Caso Negreira. Accused of sporting corruption and bribery, they managed to secure a stay of execution from UEFA, who could have expelled them for tarnishing the reputation of the competition. They will wait to see if Barcelona are found guilty in the Spanish courts before making a decision on their own action, which would likely be a one-year expulsion, should the club be convicted.