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FC Barcelona Could Be On The Cusp Of Complete Collapse After Champions League Failure

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Just former months ago, Spanish super club FC Barcelona looked in dire straits just four months ago. The club was dirt poor, had lost its iconic talisman in Lionel Messi for free, and couldn’t sign new players to challenge for its biggest goals

But then the club got creative. In short, club president Joan Laporta sacrificed long-term sustainability for short-time financial impact. Though the clubbed pulled the move “pulling economic levers.”

The decision involved a number of moves. It started by selling off a portion (25 percent) of the club’s future television rights for the next 25 years. Then it sold nearly half (49.9 percent) of its future licensing and merchandising rights.

Essentially, the club turned significant short-term losses into massive short-term gains. The moves allowed them to sign a number of new players including perhaps the world’s best player, Robert Lewandowski.

The move has paid off domestically, as Barca currently sit atop the La Liga table. But that success hasn’t translated to European play. Barcelona twice blew leads against Inter Milan on Wednesday and needed a late Lewandowski goal to salvage a 3-3 home draw.

The result means the Blaugrana are on the cusp of being eliminated after the tournament’s group stage and losing a massive amount of money that would have come with advancement.

And it’s not a good sign for the club’s financial future.

FC Barcelona In Massive Trouble If Eliminated From The Champions League

Dermot Corrigan of The Athletic reports that with Barcelona on the verge of being sent to the Europa League, its long-term finances look dubious at best.

“Barring a miracle over the remaining two group games, Xavi’s team are returning to the Europa League’s less glamorous and less lucrative knockout phase and further financial problems and drama are certain.”

Corrigan points out that the club, which is owned publicly similarly to the Green Bay Packers, recently held a vote to approve its 2021-22 accounts and 2022-23 budget.

But with an early exit looming, those votes may prove a precursor to disaster. And one of Europe’s biggest clubs could be in serious danger of collapse.