European soccer governing body UEFA proposed hitting Spanish giant FC Barcelona with a $68.5 million ... More fine as part of sanctions according to Mundo Deportivo, which cited anonymous sources. Getty Images European soccer governing body UEFA proposed hitting Spanish giant FC Barcelona with a $68.5 million (€60 million) fine as part of sanctions according to Mundo Deportivo, which cited anonymous sources. Once one of the sport’s most monied clubs, Barca has battled financial problems since an economic crisis at the turn of the decade brought on by the pandemic’s lack of matchday revenue, plus overpaying for signings, which took it to the brink of oblivion. Facing what were set to be four long years without the La Liga title, Barca and its president Joan Laporta got creative by pulling a series of what they called “financial levers” in the summer of 2022. This involved operations such as selling 10% of future television broadcasting rights to American investment group Sixth Street for $236.4 million (€207.5 million), and then another 15% to the same party for $359 million (€315 million), in order to raise the funds required to sign the likes of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde. The move proved successful in that then-head coach and midfield legend Xavi Hernandez made Barca Spanish champions once more. Yet while La Liga accepted these financial gymnastics, UEFA did not look on them too kindly and argued that the sales of the television broadcasting rights stakes could not be defined as “operating income”. MORE FOR YOU Los Angeles Protests Live Updates: Newsom Says California Will Sue To Stop Marines’ Deployment Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers For Tuesday, June 10th WWE Raw Results, Winners And Grades On June 9, 2025 That’s why Barca was originally sanctioned by UEFA, but ended up paying just €500,000 in 2024 after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). As explained by Mundo Deportivo, however, the European authority is still not satisfied and wanted to hit Barca with a hefty sanction of $68.5 million (€60 million). Laporta relied on his cordial relationship with UEFA president Aleksandr Ceferin to work something out, and he’s argued that Barca is not a SAD, or Public limited sports company, and therefore cannot make capital increases. Furthermore, Barca is allowed to make a sale of assets for a certain period of time in Spain, and La Liga president Javier Tebas validated the levers back when they were pulled. After Laporta worked his charm, UEFA has reportedly agreed to reduce the fine from $68.5 million (€60 million) to $17 million (€15 million) providing the club complies with UEFA and La Liga’s FFP rules. The fine will still be a hefty blow for FC Barcelona Even if the fine is ‘only’ $17 million (€15 million), it is still a hefty blow for a club like FC Barcelona, which remains firmly on the road to financial recovery. It’s not that far off the $28.5 million (€25 million) it needs to raise to pay Joan Garcia’s release clause, and could affect pursuits for the likes of Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford or Liverpool’s Luis Diaz elsewhere. Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions