Barcelona, La Liga and the 1:1 Financial Fair Play rule – the current state of play | OneFootball

On Wednesday night, reports emerged claiming that La Liga president Javier Tebas had informed FC Barcelona that they were back to the 1:1 Fair Play rule.

The Catalans saw their 1:1 status taken away in April after the club’s new auditor, Crowe Spain, decided not to include the €100 million revenue from the Camp Nou VIP seat lease deal in the current year’s income as the seats were still not ready.

But since then, construction company Limak has completed the required work, and as such, it was suggested that the club had now returned to the 1:1 rule, pending official confirmation.

What’s the actual situation?

However, as reported by Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are closer but still have not reached the 1:1 Financial Fair Play status, which would allow full freedom to register new players during the summer transfer window, according to La Liga.

Reductions in the wage bill have helped narrow the gap, but the operation involving the sale of VIP seats remains key.

The main issue remains the club’s inability to validate the €100 million from the VIP box sale, originally executed in December but nullified by La Liga in April.

The Camp Nou VIP seat operation still needs to be validated. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

In the meantime, Barcelona have been actively working to reduce their wage bill. The latest move was Ansu Fati’s loan to Monaco, which relieves the club of approximately €8 million.

Clement Lenglet’s departure to Atletico Madrid, after being released, freed up an additional €6 million. Further exits, such as Pablo Torre and Inaki Pena, are also under consideration. Any departure that lightens the wage load is being pursued.

What needs to be done?

Until Barcelona reach the necessary financial conditions, they cannot utilise 100% of the revenue or wage space from outgoing transfers – even in the case of loans.

Under current restrictions, Barcelona can only use up to 60% of salary and amortisation savings for signing a new player – 70% in the case of a “franchise player” (those whose salary equals or exceeds 5% of the total squad wage bill).

As for revenue from player sales, the club can apply just 20% towards new signings, increasing to 35% for a franchise player.

In summary, while progress has been made, until the VIP box deal is resolved or sufficient salary is cleared, Barcelona remain outside the 1:1 rule and cannot yet operate with complete freedom in the market.