Nyon, Switzerland – The governing body of European soccer, UEFA, has announced that Barcelona’s appeal against a €500,000 ($537,000) fine for falsifying income in violation of financial regulations has been denied.
In July, the UEFA club finance panel imposed the fine on Barcelona after the club reported income in 2022 from what they described as the “disposal of intangible assets (other than player transfers),” which was considered irrelevant income under financial regulations.
The details of the specific revenue that led to the fine have not been disclosed by UEFA.
Barcelona has faced significant financial challenges, with their financial difficulties leading them to participate in the ill-fated European Super League’s inaugural season in 2021. This event ultimately contributed to Lionel Messi’s departure from the team later that year.
Barcelona subsequently failed to reacquire Messi for the current season when he expressed a desire to return, and the Argentine forward ended up signing with Inter Miami.
The club tried to address their financial issues by reaching a €207 million ($222 million) agreement with Sixth Street, an investment company. This deal was centered around 10% of the revenue generated from Barcelona’s domestic broadcast rights over a 25-year period.
Despite their ongoing financial woes, Barcelona’s appeal to UEFA has not yielded a favorable outcome, leaving them to deal with the repercussions of the imposed fine.
