Barcelona and La Liga have been at odds for some time, as a natural clashing of interests occurs on between two major institutions, both of which still need the other.
Earlier on Friday it emerged that the Blaugrana would be taking La Liga to court in order to complain of uneven conditions for the clubs competing. Of Spain’s top two divisions, 38 of the 42 signed up for the CVC presented to them by La Liga. As part of the deal, La Liga granted them an extra 15% of their revenue in terms of their salary limits.
Barcelona were not one of those sides and now they have submitted a formal complaint that other teams have an advantage over them. Vice-President Rafael Yuse told Diario AS that they would be fighting La Liga on this.
“It is a very clear problem. We will defend our interests. We understand and have filed a complaint with the Mercantile Court of Barcelona because we understand that the competition rights of the club are violated.”
“We are going to fight to have more financial fairplay, which is what we need to have an even better squad.”
Asked what exactly they hoped to gain from this, Yuste offered a thinly veiled shot at La Liga, who have been steadfast that all teams should adhere to the same rules.
“The objective is a matter of competition, that’s it. It is to have more fairplay.”
However Yuste would go on to reveal what seems like the real reason that Barcelona hope to force La Liga’s hand.
“We have submitted a complaint that if we had 15% [more] of the €600m that Sixth Street gave us, we would have €90m to be able to sign. The money from the levers has served to once again have positive funds and that the treasury could be solvent in the short- and long-term. It does not go directly only to the players. The fairplay is dictated by them and we do not agree.”
That €90m would of course give them far more room to manoeuvre in the market. Yuste refers to the sale of TV rights and Barca Studios to Sixth Street.
As well as give solvency to the club in the short-term, those deals were done in order to allow Barcelona to spend again in the summer, rather than face years of purgatory in the transfer window, as they wrestle with a hugely outgrown wage bill. It is no surprise they are seeking to get the most of it.
