Very few clubs in the world of football can claim to be scrutinised as deeply as FC Barcelona is. Over the past few years, the Catalans have been forced to take calculated steps at every juncture given their delicate financial situation.
The arrival of Joan Laporta exposed several of the former board’s horrendous and costly decisions, some of which continue to burden the club to date. The new administration has burned the midnight oil to salvage Barcelona from the flames, yet fallen prey to a number of speculations and defamatory messages.
Laporta confronted the press on Thursday to clear these very discrepancies. In his 45-minute interaction, he transparently revealed various facets of Barcelona’s economic state and sporting situation. Here are the snippets from his press conference.
On the team’s goals this season: “Our priority is to win La Liga. We are firm candidates but we need to work hard until the end. There is great enthusiasm within the team. We’re growing defensively, conceding only 7 goals all season.”
On the team’s goals this season: “Our priority is to win La Liga. We are firm candidates but we need to work hard until the end. There is great enthusiasm within the team. We’re growing defensively, conceding only 7 goals all season.”
On why the press conference was called: “I am here to explain the situation of the club as we are in mid-season. We are proud that we made the right decisions and put the club on the right path. We won the Super Cup and we will compete for every other trophy.”
On Xavi Hernandez: “I want to thank Xavi for the great job he has done. He knows Barça fully, he is a positive person who always looks for solutions. From the board, we are very grateful to him.”
On the success of his board so far: “I want to talk about the economic situation. We saved the club, we took decisions to reduce debts and now we are in control.”
On the positive economic growth: “We have had attendance records in the ‘ticketing’ of Palau and the Camp Nou, also an unprecedented increase in visits to the museum and the sale of shirts. It is an indication of our economic growth.”
On the finances involved in transfers: “We bought players for a total of €215M and made €141M in player sales. That means in €74M, we made a very competitive team.”
On La Liga regulations: “Every time we overcome an obstacle in FFP, La Liga changes the rules.”
On the difficulty in registering players: “If we are having trouble registering players, it’s because we’ve exceeded the salary cap of La Liga. We inherited a salary limit which was exceeded by €300M-€350M, we have reduced it by €100M and we plan it to reduce by another €70M in the summer.”
On Espai Barça: “Before 31st March, the financing of ‘Espai Barça’ will be closed.”
On allegations of giving work to Limak company: “I want to shed light on it. This agreement has been exemplary in every way. There has been total control from the club. If Limak exceeds the set date for the completion of work, we will receive compensation.”
On the renovation of Spotify Camp Nou: “Work at Camp Nou should have started 10 years ago. Finally, together with Goldman Sachs and Limak, we will be able to begin the work. The new stadium will make us able to continue competing among the elite clubs.”
On the loss involved in playing at Montjuïc: “Every season that we play at the Montjuïc, accounts for about €93M in losses.”
On a new digital initiative: “One of the club’s pillars is the ‘digital transformation’, which will allow us to improve our way of working, reach our socis and fans in a better way and improve our income.”
On Lionel Messi’s possible return: “Messi? We are proud of Leo Messi, but he is a PSG player and I will not talk about players of other clubs.”
On Matias Messi’s comments: “He apologized and that’s all. The words of Messi’s brother will not affect the relationship b/w Barça and Leo.”
On Ansu Fati’s future: “Ansu Fati? He is a Barça player, in whom we have high hopes and we have no news that his agent wants to do anything.”
On Sergio Busquets’ future: “Busquets? For now we are focused on La Liga. Sergio is an important player for us and it’ll be difficult for our team’s dynamics if he leaves. When he decides, we’ll talk about it. Neither party considers that it’s the moment. We had a meeting before Christmas because he had offers from the MLS.”
On Manchester City’s situation: “I don’t know about the Manchester City issue in detail. I wish, for my friends who are there, that they handle the situation well and save it.”
On his relationship with Messi’s entourage: “I have a relationship of maximum understanding and esteem with Messi and his entourage. I don’t give any more importance to what happened yesterday, the most important thing is that he apologized.”
On Gerard Pique’s Kings League: “We are happy that Piqué is doing well with it. We will take a percentage of ticketing and sponsors from the final four of the tournament which will be played at the Camp Nou.”
On Alejandro Balde’s renewal: “Balde’s renewal has been worked on and practically agreed. He wants to continue at Barça and we are only waiting to be able to register him in accordance with FFP.”
On the impact of departures on the wage bill: “The departure of Pique and Griezmann already means €90M reduction in wage bill.”
On the sell-to-buy policy: “It is not necessary to sell players to be able to sign. We are not obliged to do so because we think we have other options. Everything will also depend on what is estimated in the market.”
On Dembele: “Dembele’s situation? Dembélé is happy and so are we. He is an important player for the club and for Xavi. We want him to continue at Barça.”
