FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FC Barcelona Press Conference - Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, Barcelona, Spain - April 25, 2024 FC Barcelona coach Xavi and president Joan Laporta during the press conference REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona president Joan Laporta has defended his management of the club's finances and said they followed the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules to enable them to register players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.
Barca were blocked by LaLiga and the Spanish football federation (RFEF) from registering the players for the second half of the 2024-25 campaign for failing to meet the FFP rules before the Dec. 31 registration deadline.
After two courts also rejected Barcelona's requests, the club turned to the Spanish Government, which intervened as the National Sports Council (CSD) reversed the decision and allowed the club to provisionally register the players until the final resolution of their appeal.
Laporta said on Tuesday that they closed a deal with Middle Eastern investors to sell the VIP boxes of the revamped Camp Nou by the end of December which, alongside a new, seven-year kit deal with Nike, allowed them to balance their finances and meet the LaLiga financial requirements.
"We submitted the documentation on Dec. 27. We sent it within the deadline, but between Dec. 27 and 31, LaLiga asked us to complete the documentation. We thought we had the break-even on Dec. 31 and LaLiga asked us for additional requirements that were not included," Laporta told reporters on Tuesday.
"There was no improvisation whatsoever (in the VIP seats deal). We established a very detailed strategic plan from the outset and it has been evaluated as the weeks have gone by. (The deal) has been completed thanks to the work and talent of all the executives. They are doing an extraordinary job.
"The contract with Nike triples what we were charging and (the VIP seats deal) would have been done regardless of the FFP requirements."
Laporta refused to provide details of the VIP seat contract, citing confidentiality clauses.
LaLiga said last week it disagreed with the CSD's decision and will appeal. Several clubs have also criticised the government intervention, saying it set a dangerous precedent.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
