Barcelona debt is “unpayable,” according to economist

Marc Ciria, a prominent economist in Barcelona, has given a public presentation in which he has painted a grim picture of the club’s finances.

The presentation, at which other prominent economists and businessmen spoke, painted a largely grim picture of Barcelona’s finances, which have recovered but not fully from years of mismanagement and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It said Barça Visión (a metaverse-style project) had so far, zero value, and reviews were similar for Barça Studios (which creates radio and TV programming.) Perhaps most worrying, it said the club’s debt was as of today, “unpayable.”

In order to pay down the debt, the club has restructured it, but that may not be enough. According to the presentation, Barça need to find new funding sources in order to be in a healthy situation.

It’s understood that Barcelona is still negotiating a deal with Nike that will bring much-needed cash, but also that Barça Licensing & Merchandising (also known as BLM) could be sold as well to sweeten the deal.

FC Barcelona has been warned that Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have been registered on a provisional basis and will need extra money if they want to keep them starting next season.

“It makes me suffer that BLM is being used as a bargaining chip in the negotiations with Nike. It should be a red line,” Ciria said.

Ciria did praise the management’s work in securing sponsors but warned that there was “little margin for growth” in that area. He recommended a change in the club’s strategy and personnel in order to exploit new funding sources through digital channels, as Barcelona have not done nearly enough in that area.