Barcelona president’s meeting with UEFA chief helps reduce potential fine from €60 million to €15 million | OneFootball

Barcelona have successfully reduced a potentially devastating UEFA fine thanks to the direct intervention of club president Joan Laporta.

As reported before, UEFA was ready to punish the club with a hefty €60 million fine for the use of financial “levers” in 2022.

However, Mundo Deportivo reports that after several rounds of negotiations and strategic arguments made directly to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, the final figure has been cut down to €15 million, with conditions.

What is the root cause?

The heart of the issue dates back to the summer of 2022 when Barcelona activated a series of asset sales, famously referred to as “levers”, to ease financial pressure and fund key signings.

These moves helped the club post a positive balance for the 2022–23 season. While La Liga accepted these deals as valid financial operations, UEFA did not.

According to the European body, the transactions couldn’t be counted as “operating income” and were instead considered gains from selling intangible assets.

Earlier this year, UEFA fined the club a small amount (€500,000), which Barça appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

That case is now closed, but UEFA pushed forward with a second round of sanctions, this time proposing a much higher penalty.

Laporta defends Barça’s structure

Barcelona have managed to reduce the fine. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Laporta and his team defended the club’s actions by pointing out that Barcelona is not a Sports Public Limited Company (SAD), unlike most European clubs.

This means they cannot inject cash through share capital increases like others. Instead, their version of financial manoeuvring comes through asset operations, which La Liga reviewed and approved.

Laporta also reminded Ceferin that Spain’s domestic league, under Javier Tebas, known for his strict enforcement of financial rules, had no issues with these “levers”.

The club highlighted that it is bound by a different governance model, with elected members and no shareholders, making their path to financial recovery unique but not illegal.

Ultimately, UEFA agreed to reduce the proposed €60 million fine to €15 million, but on the condition that Barcelona fully comply with fair play regulations in both UEFA and La Liga. If they fail to meet those standards, the larger fine will be reinstated.

From a financial standpoint, Barça believe the €15 million fine will be recorded as an extraordinary expense and won’t affect their regular profit margin.

Talks between the club and UEFA are now nearing completion, with the final terms of the settlement and the compliance framework expected to be finalised soon.