FC Barcelona was ordered to pay a fine of 500,000 euros by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which upheld UEFA’s decision. This sanction follows the use of the famous “economic levers” by the Catalan club during the summer of 2023, maneuvers deemed not to comply with the rules of financial fair play.
The court established that the sale of 25% of the television rights had been wrongly counted as ordinary income instead of extraordinary income, thus allowing the club to hide its financial deficits.
A deliberate violation according to the CAS
The CAS clarified that the offense committed by FC Barcelona was deliberate and that a correction could have reduced the fine to 80,000 euros. However, the club led by Joan Laporta persisted in classifying the sale of these assets as operational income, thus reinforcing the severity of the sanction.
Barça will therefore have to pay this fine while continuing to closely monitor its financial situation.
