Daniel Costa
Assistant Opinions Editor
One of the largest if not the largest soccer clubs in the world is facing severe financial difficulties as a result not only of the current pandemic, but also due to lackluster performances which has affected the sale of merchandise. In the 2019-2020 season, Barcelona F.C. recorded a loss of 97 million euros. Players and staff have already taken wage cuts throughout the years as the club’s financial fortunes sharply decline.
Club employees are now preparing for another round of negotiations in regards to their wages, including the illustrious Lionel Messi. November 5th is the deadline for negotiations between the club managers and employees. However, it is not expected that employees will have to take a pay cut overall; instead, wages are to be paid in smaller increments to alleviate the club’s strained finances.
Barcelona have been struggling with the upkeep of high-cost players recently acquired. However, many of these expensive additions to the team have not met with great success at the club. Arturo Vidal of Chile never lived up to his price tag of $19.8 million. Other examples include Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann, and Frankie De Jong. All of these players cost a fortune of $242.55 million, not to mention other signings the club undertook. This type of spending was approved in an attempt to replace legendary players such as Xavi and Puyol.
The wages of the players has been the decisive factor in Barcelona’s money issues. Players like Lionel Messi earn $92 million a year.
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