Barcelona to be fined €15.7m for ‘irregularities’ in payments to players

Barcelona are set to be hit with another major financial blow, with the Spanish tax authorities handing the club a hefty €15.7m fine.

The Blaugrana failed to declare several expenses to the tax authorities correctly, and have also accounted the redundancy packages of former players Arda Turan and Alexander Song when they left the club, as per Marca.

The club failed to declare the cost of chartered flights to players and also did not disclose the cost of loaning Audi cars to their playing squad – the German car brand were previously a club sponsor.

They also did not correctly account for the termination of Turan’s deal, worth €1.312m, and Song’s deal, which amounted to €3.5m.

It represents a further blow to the club bank balance, as they try to raise €200m this summer in order not to fall foul of their salary limit, but also to their credibility. This case runs alongside the Negreira Case, where Barcelona are being investigated for payments to the former Vice-President of the Referees Committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. This latest case will only propagate the idea that Barcelona have been breaking rules, although no doubt current President Joan Laporta will point to the fact that these events occcurred under his predecessor, Josep Maria Bartomeu.