Barcelona opposition group demands answers over €2.441bn debt and Espai Barca costs

The opposition group Som un Clam, led by Joan Camprubi, has challenged Joan Laporta’s Barcelona board over the club’s finances, issuing 10 questions just five days before the annual general meeting on Saturday, 19 October.

In a detailed statement, Som un Clam analysed Barcelona’s financial position and asked the board to respond “in a constructive spirit and without making accusations”. However, the questions amount to a direct challenge to the way the club has been managed.

The group said Barcelona’s total debt had reached €2.441bn, making the club the most indebted in Europe. It said the figure had risen by €357m in just one year, with €676.7m due to be paid in the short term.

Som un Clam also questioned how the board could claim that Barcelona was financially stable when new financing worth €354.4m had been accompanied by a €91.5m fall in cash reserves and continued negative operating cash flow.

The club has celebrated record revenue of more than €1bn, but the group said financial expenses of €114.2m had undermined any improvement in operating profits.

Questions over Espai Barca

The statement also focused on Espai Barca, the club’s main development project. Som un Clam asked how much still had to be paid for the stadium, when construction would be completed and what the real plans were for the new Palau Blaugrana.

It also demanded to know whether Barcelona would seek compensation from the construction company for the delays, and when members would be told their seating locations and season-ticket prices.

The group highlighted that Barcelona’s equity had fallen to minus €168m. It said this had led to a breach of UEFA financial fair play regulations, already costing the club €15m, with a further penalty of up to €45m possible.

Som un Clam said Article 67 of Barcelona’s statutes requires the board to cover losses and restore positive equity within two financial years, or face early dismissal. However, it said the current board had suspended the application of the article since 2021 while the club’s net worth remained negative.

The group also asked why Barcelona had increased its stake in Barca Studios from 53.4% to 63.14% when the asset had already suffered a 69% impairment loss. It questioned what salary controls were in place after the 2026/27 budget projected sporting wages of €633m, close to the €636m recorded in 2019/20 before the pandemic.

Further questions concerned the 60% growth in Barcelona’s non-sporting structure over five years, and whether regular player sales had become necessary to balance the books. Som un Clam asked whether the club had structurally become a selling club.

Finally, it questioned the credibility of the 2026/27 budget after four successive years of failing to meet forecasts, including an additional negative deviation of €22m this year.

The group concluded: “Clear answers are essential to build and protect the future of our club. We want a strong club with a sound financial position that allows us to remain excited on the pitch for many years to come.”