In the last few hours, LaLiga issued a statement on the situation of Barça. Specifically, LaLiga assured on Wednesday that Barcelona does not currently have the funds or capacity to register Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor and that, contrary to what the club has stated, its interim financial statements for the first half of the 2024-2025 season do not include any amount relating to the VIP box operation.
“According to the aforementioned Interim Financial Statements, and in application of the Budgeting Standard, FC Barcelona, with the signing of said corporate operation, did not have on December 31, 2024, or January 3, 2025, or has had since that date, or has today, a balance or registration capacity, what is publicly known as ‘Fair Play’, for the registration of the players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor”, he explained.
In recent months there has been talk that it was not guaranteed that Barça could avail itself of the 1:1 rule on July 1, that is to say, that for every euro of salary savings, another euro could be spent.
This doubt as to the application of the rule would be due to the fact that LaLiga has questioned one of Barça‘s two transactions for VIP seats (the one carried out with New Era Visionary Group, from the United Arab Emirates) in its allegations sent to the Spanish Sports Council (CSD) for the registration of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor. Furthermore, the club will not return to the Camp Nou within the timeframes initially planned, so the stipulated income for its return to the refurbished Spotify Camp Nou will not be met.
Now, the club’s new auditor, Crowe Spain, does not agree with the criteria of the temporary audit that validated the box operation. In a report by Adrià Soldevilà on the program ‘Què t’hi jugues?’ on the ‘SER’ radio station, it is pointed out that the 100 million should not be fully counted for this season because the asset — the new VIP seats — does not yet exist.
Barça hopes to reapply the 1:1 Financial Fair Play rule in May, when the VIP seats at Camp Nou are completed, reports Mundo Deportivo. With work scheduled for completion next month, Barcelona is almost certain to obtain the funds necessary to return to that standard.