Barcelona suffered yet another blow this midweek when they slumped to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United. It was their fourth European exit in the span of 15 months – something that has not only impacted the club’s prestige but also its finances.
Indeed, Barcelona are reportedly missing out on revenue of up to €26 million following their premature exit from the UEFA Europa League. It is a devastating blow for a club that are facing economic hardships and must balance the books in order to sign new players.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are looking to offset some of these losses by arranging friendlies. They are looking for opportunities to organise friendlies against teams across the world.
The friendlies will be played at the end of the season when Barcelona will have additional time due to their early elimination from the Europa League.
Barça are no stranger to hosting friendlies in an attempt to generate revenue. At the end of last year, the team went to Australia to face A-League All Stars in Sydney. The Catalans won the game 3-2 and generated a revenue of around €5 million.
In addition to planning friendlies, Barcelona are also preparing for a trip to the United States in the summer, presumably as part of their pre-season preparations. The trip will be made to generate fresh revenue ahead of the new season.
It will go a long way in helping the club offset the losses incurred by the lack of European footballing action. But sooner rather than later, the club must start performing well in Europe, especially if they are to continue attracting top footballing talents across the world.
