BarcelonaThe Barça sections face the challenge of remaining competitive with a much smaller budget than the current one. According to RAC1, the serious economic situation that drags the club will force the multi-sport teams to cut 15 million euros in the next three years. In the case of the basketball team, the goal is to reduce the current budget by 20%. The wage bill is around 37 million euros.
According to information from Laia Coll, the reductions affect basketball, handball, futsal and ice hockey, while women’s football, the only professional section that generates profits, and grassroots football are exempt. Barça wants to influence the reduction of travel expenses. The members of the sports commission will only travel when there is a title at stake or due to the absence of the manager in charge.
The contracts signed during the mandate of Josep Maria Bartomeu have become a poisoned inheritance for Joan Laporta’s working group. The most obvious cases are those of Nikola Mirotic and Cory Higgins. The figures of their contracts do not fit either the current parameters of the club or those of the market. “We want Blaugrana basketball to be at the top, but with market prices. The idea is to compete at the highest level with the maximum profit”, explains Josep Cubells, manager responsible for the section.
Although they haven’t won the Euroleague since 2010, Barça have been among the best teams in Europe’s top division for years. The Blaugrana team will play for the third consecutive time in the quarter-finals of the Euroleague with the track factor in their favour, a milestone that no other rival has achieved. “The season is very long. Finishing in the top four doesn’t guarantee you anything, but it’s better. There are many factors that influence performance, but we’ve been knocking on the door for years,” says Sarunas Jasikevicius.
Although the final results will influence their decision, the club intends to renew the Lithuanian manager. The coach’s link will be automatically extended if the team wins the Euroleague, but if not, his continuity is not ruled out. At this point, the intention of Joan Carles Navarro and Mario Fernández is to extend Saras’ time on the culer bench.
Barça has been intensifying the exploitation of the Palau Blaugrana for months. The department of ticketing has experienced remarkable improvements. The new application of the reverse free seat, in which the season ticket holder transfers his season ticket to the club if he has not confirmed his attendance 72 hours before, has increased the sale of tickets and, also, the influx of public. The entity, which figures the increase in seat sales by 16%, has made important improvements in access and in the rehabilitation of areas of the pavilion, it has also invested in a new video marker that has improved the experience of the attendees . the room vip and the catering areas have also been renovated and the range of products has been increased and improved.
Two renewed policies
The board of directors approved on Thursday the renewal of two credit policies that the club has in force with two banking entities. In the case of the policy with CaixaBank, which expires on April 30, 2023, it is extended until April 30, 2026, with a maximum amount of 17 million euros. As for the Banco Santander policy, which was due on May 15, 2023, it is also extended for three years, until May 15, 2026, and the amount is 32.5 million euros.
