According to Mundo Deportivo, at Barcelona's 2026 General Assembly, Vice President for Economic Affairs Ferran Olivé presented and explained the budget for the 2026/27 season. Barcelona projects revenues of €1.195 billion for the new season, with no further asset impairments expected this season that would result in negative extraordinary losses. The budget was ultimately approved with 583 votes in favor, 43 against, and 27 abstentions.

Ferran Olivé stated: "We have achieved positive operating results for the third consecutive year. More specifically, regarding stadium revenues, we have ticket and season pass income, as well as some income related to our youth academy. It was a challenging season as we played at three different stadiums. We also phased our return to the stadium gradually, but we still managed to stay within budget."

Regarding television broadcasting rights revenue, when preparing the budget we typically calculate based on the team finishing first or second in La Liga or reaching the Champions League quarterfinals.

The third revenue component is commercial income. The agreement we signed with Nike is very favorable because we can directly manage our e-commerce operations and sell merchandise under our own brand. Previously we were restricted in this area.

The very good news is that revenue from Barcelona Licensing and Merchandising (BLM) merchandise sales exceeded €200 million.

Another aspect is sponsorship. We set a record, though we didn't reach our original target.

The fourth component is player transfers and loans. Barcelona is a club that buys players, but we also need to be able to sell them. We invest heavily in our youth academy, but not all players can make it to the first team, so we need to be able to generate accounting profits from their sales. Players who cannot remain with the team are sold while retaining a certain percentage of future sell-on rights. When these players are sold again, we can generate revenue."

Regarding club expenses,

Ferran Olivé said: "The most significant expenses are the salaries of our competitive staff. Our salary levels remain at the lower end of UEFA standards. We also regularized employment conditions and actively converted some individuals who previously worked as independent contractors to our standard employment system, which correspondingly increased our wage expenses. Regarding operating and administrative expenses, we did not meet our budget targets because we played at three different stadiums. Then there are other expenses. Our ordinary operating result was a profit of €200,000, while extraordinary items resulted in a loss of €14 million."

Ferran Olivé then explained the asset impairment related to Bridgeburg: "In 2022 we sold television broadcasting rights. At that time, due to the Super League situation, our relationship with La Liga was somewhat strained, and it was not easy. At that moment we believed we had sufficient conditions to maintain normal club operations. Additionally, we needed to build a competitive team, so we had to restructure our squad.

For all these reasons, we had to activate a new financial lever — Bridgeburg. At the time they were involved in tokens, NFTs, and metaverse-related business, and these concepts were at their peak. We believed this was a business we could develop. The valuation at that time reached €400 million, but later the token and metaverse markets declined. We were also somewhat dissatisfied with our collaboration with some of these partners, and we were unable to continue managing the situation. Auditors informed us we needed to write down the value of this company. An additional €23 million impairment was recorded this year. We have been constantly seeking other revenue sources.

This €23 million is a balance sheet adjustment, not a cash loss. We are selling Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs), which are long-term rights to VIP seats where purchasers can receive corresponding rights for 30 years. We conducted this operation last year and continued it this year, reaching €9.8 million."

Regarding competitive spending,

Ferran Olivé said: "Regarding competitive costs, our wage-to-revenue ratio remains at 54%, which is at the lower end of UEFA standards. In previous years we significantly exceeded these standards. We need to have a competitive team, but we cannot exceed our financial capabilities.

Our net assets changed from negative €153 million to negative €168 million, but as the stadium project progresses we will gradually correct this situation. Regarding debt, there are many different ways to calculate it. According to La Liga standards, this includes money owed to banks, money owed to other clubs, and the club's outstanding payables. We moved backward in this regard, and on the surface our situation worsened. However, this summer we completed the signing of Anthony Gordon. No one completes signings after the end of the financial year because it hurts financial metrics, but we had to complete this deal before the end of the financial year. These factors combined had an impact. This operation brought our debt to €607 million, but without these factors we could have reduced debt to approximately €400 million. The auditors issued an unqualified opinion on our financial statements."

Finally, Ferran Olivé concluded: "Despite playing at three different stadiums, we still achieved record revenue of €1.06 billion. We have achieved positive operating results for the third consecutive year and continue to maintain a BBB credit rating. The value of our squad is €1.267 billion, which is higher than its current book value. However, until we sell these players, we cannot include their market value in accounting. Forbes values us at $7.5 billion, noting the club's appreciation, which has increased by 33%. We have successfully regained compliance with La Liga's 1:1 Financial Fair Play Rule, and we should be very proud of this. UEFA has awarded the 2029 Champions League Final to our stadium, which is the finest stadium in the world.""

Переведено ИИ.

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