- The Catalan club were handed a £420,000 fine in 2024 for breaching the rules
- But CAS warned at their abortive appeal that next punishment would be worse
- Chelsea and Aston Villa are both in talks with UEFA over first-time breaches
Barcelona are allegedly facing harsher sanctions after breaching UEFA financial regulations for a second time, according to reports.
The Catalan club initially breached the European governing body’s rules last year, and were threatened with the possibility of a ban from their flagship competition, the Champions League, for the 2024-25 season.
But Barcelona eventually only received a fine of £420,000 (€500,000), and were cleared to compete in the last European campaign.
The Blaugrana however remain mired in financial woes, with the club struggling to balance the books and stay in line with the stringent regulations required by both the European and domestic leagues.
Hansi Flick’s side came close to losing two of their standouts from this season – Dani Olmo and Pau Victor – in January, only allowed to re-register the players after selling 475 VIP seats in their renovated Nou Camp, and a lengthy legal tussle with LaLiga.
But the looming possibility of punitive measures abroad appears to be growing ahead of next season, with the Times reporting that the club could be facing a sterner response for repeat breaches.
Barcelona face the looming threat of punishment after a second consecutive rule breach
UEFA previously handed out a fine to the Catalan club but punishment could increase this term
The outlet claims that Barcelona could face a reduced limit on the number of players they can register for Champions League matches.
The LaLiga side could also be handed a points deduction in the competition, which could come with lasting financial consequences.
Premier League sides Chelsea and Aston Villa are set to be sanctioned for their own breaches of the regulations, but as first-time offenders, both clubs are likely to receive less aggressive restrictions.
The Blues ran foul of the European rules after UEFA rejected the club’s deal to sell their women’s team to sister company BlueCo for a sum estimated to be close to £200million.
But while the business helped Chelsea remain within the league’s Profit and Spending Regulations (PSR), UEFA was unimpressed by the loophole found by the west London club.
Both of the English clubs are believed to be in talks with UEFA’s Club Financial Control Board (CFCB) over potential financial penalties, with Mail Sport reporting in April that Chelsea could also be given a spending plan by the governing body over several years.
A ruling on Aston Villa and Chelsea’s punishment is expected to be made public later this month.
Hints that Barcelona would be hit with a higher level of punishment were mentioned in the ruling from their abortive attempt to challenge their 2024 fine at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in October.
‘The CFCB (…) highlights that a similar breach by the club in the 2023/24 monitoring process would constitute a case of recidivism and would be addressed by the imposition of a harsher disciplinary measure on FC Barcelona,’ the ruling read.
Chelsea are also facing a financial sanction after falling foul of the European body’s regulations
The Blaugrana’s financial situation has been worsened by the delays to Nou Camp renovations
Barcelona have been further hindered in their long-running pursuit for financial stability by the delayed completion of their £1.25billion stadium.
The team have played at the Olympic Stadium for over two seasons since work began in June 2023, with their proposed return to the Nou Camp in November 2024 pushed back multiple times.
The significantly smaller Olympic Stadium has seen the club miss out on vital matchday revenue.
Barcelona hierarchy will hope that the increased 105,000 capacity at the Nou Camp makes a massive impact on the club coffers when the side returns in September 2025.
