Barcelona president Joan Laporta has defended the way he handled financial affairs and said the club followed Financial Fair Play rules in order to be able to sign players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.
The Spanish League and the Spanish Football Federation have banned Barcelona from registering players during the second half of the 2024-2025 season, due to failure to comply with Financial Fair Play rules before the deadline of registration from December 31.
After two courts also rejected Barcelona’s requests, the club turned to the Spanish government, which intervened and the National Sports Council overturned the decision, allowing the players to be registered temporarily until the final decision is made to appeal the club.
Laporta said on Tuesday he had reached an agreement with Middle Eastern investors to sell VIP boxes at the Camp Nou stadium after its renovation by the end of December, which allowed the club, as well as a new agreement to 7 years with Nike, to achieve a balance between… Its financial resources and meet the financial requirements of the Spanish League.
🎙️ President Joan Laporta: “We were able to return to a 1:1 situation in the player registration system, which allows us to naturally recruit new players and register both Dani Olmo and Pau Victor. This confirms how strong FC Barcelona is. he refutes the rhetoric that describes the situation as “disastrous and tragic”. pic.twitter.com/66sD5UCnDz
– FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona_ara) January 14, 2025
Laporta added, in statements to journalists on Tuesday: “We submitted the documents on December 27 and sent them on time, but the Spanish League asked us between December 27 and 31 to complete the documents. the break-even point as of December 31 and the League requested that the additional requirements not be included.
He added: “There was no improvisation (in the VIP seating deal). We developed a very detailed strategic plan from the start and it was evaluated over the weeks. (The deal) was concluded thanks to the work and talent of all the executives.
He went on to say: “The deal with Nike triples what we were charging, and (the VIP seating deal) would have been implemented regardless of Financial Fair Play requirements.”
Laporta refused to provide details of the VIP seat contract, indicating the existence of secret clauses.
The Spanish League said last week that it did not agree with the National Sports Council’s decision and would appeal. Several clubs also criticized the government’s intervention, saying it set a dangerous precedent.