FC Barcelona has ludicrous debts and is playing the first season without Messi: The club’s uncertainty is palpable. Now, of all times, is FC Bayern, against whom it set the historic 8-2 Niederlasge a year ago.
Praise from the opponent is always dangerous: “FC Barcelona will never be weak”said Manuel Neuer, goalkeeper of FC Bayern, with a view to the first group game of the Champions League (from 9 p.m. in and on Amazon prime). It is not possible to say with certainty whether the statement was really meant seriously, or whether Neuer, out of calculation or politeness, speaks more to the opponent than he may be at the moment.
In any case, the keeper insisted on pointing out the historic defeat on August 14th last year. With 8: 2, mercilessly strong Bayern had thrown FC Barcelona out of the competition in the quarter-finals of the premier class. It was a top-class downgrading. The Catalans were on the ground. “You don’t forget a game like that. Of course, that hurt in Barcelona”said Neuer. Whereby “hurt” is certainly too weakly expressed. For the Catalans, the debacle was a trauma that they still have to nibble on.
A devastating series of bad news
In retrospect, the defeat marked the beginning of a devastating series of bad news that rocked the proud Catalans. After the old presidium was chased out of office, the club’s immense debt crisis was revealed. In total, FC Barcelona has accumulated an unbelievable 1.35 billion euros in gross debt. The situation is so serious that not even club icon Messi could be kept with halved pay, even though both sides had reached an agreement.
Now the club is going into its first season without the Argentine. The start of the season in the championship went reasonably well with two wins and one draw. How FC Barcelona will manage without Messi is not clear. Thomas Müller, of the team, also sees it that way “currently do not assess at all” could: “Without Messi, it’s certainly a different team.”
FC Barcelona still wants the Super League
Meanwhile, coach Ronald Koeman is trying to get the best out of the situation after a heated argument with new president Joan Laporta that caused further unrest. Half of his offensive division is canceled. New signing Sergio Agüero is injured, as is Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembélé and Martin Braithwaite. He is left with Memphis Depay and Luuk de Jong, who were also newly signed up, as attackers. If everyone is fit, FC Barcelona still have an excellent team together.
In terms of sport, the future is therefore extremely uncertain. Financially, the situation remains fragile. The Catalan club apparently cannot decide which path to take in the future. The Catalans were among the initiators of the Super League, which is to replace the Champions League. The idea initially crashed across Europe, but it is not off the table. Real Madrid and Juventus Turin continue to openly advertise the introduction of the Super League, precisely because they allegedly urgently need the money. And FC Barcelona also seems to continue to flirt with the idea. Otherwise he would not voluntarily forego the income from a sponsorship deal that the Spanish league concluded with the CVC investment fund. The league has sold ten percent of its shares, which means that the clubs that agree will receive fresh money. Like rivals Real Madrid, FC Barcelona opposed the business and therefore waived additional income of around 250 million euros – so the hope for the Super League must be very strong.
But now the club must first survive the group game against Bayern. It’s going to be tough enough.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
