Barcelona has been hit with a €500,000 fine by UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules during the 2022-23 financial year. The fine comes after the club lost their appeal against the penalty. It was determined that Barcelona had wrongly reported profits from intangible assets, excluding player transfers, in their financial accounts submitted to UEFA, which were not considered relevant income under the FFP regulations.
Although the fine itself may not be financially devastating, it poses a challenge for Barcelona, as the club is already struggling to stay within La Liga’s financial controls. The misreported income is believed to be linked to their sale of assets, including TV rights and a portion of their image distribution subsidiary.
In addition to their FFP breach, Barcelona faces another significant challenge related to the Caso Negreira. The club has been accused of sporting corruption and bribery. UEFA has granted Barcelona a stay of execution, pending the outcome of the case in the Spanish courts. Depending on the verdict, UEFA may take further action, potentially leading to a one-year expulsion from competitions if the club is convicted.
This fine places Barcelona among a list of high-profile European clubs, including Paris St Germain, AC Milan, and Inter Milan, who had reached settlements with UEFA in September of the previous year, meeting the FFP targets for the financial year 2022.