MADRID (Reuters) - LaLiga lowered Barcelona's wage cap on Wednesday after it said the club's recently revised accounts do not match the end-of-year figures from its previous auditor which included a 100 million euros ($108.15 million) transaction.
The previous accounts included proceeds from the sale of VIP seats in the renovated Camp Nou which allowed Barca to comply with LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play rules and extend the registration of players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.
LaLiga said in a statement it will file a complaint against Barcelona's previous auditors who approved the club's accounts as the new auditors - the third Barca have had in three months - disagreed with the criteria used to include the transaction.
According to LaLiga, new auditors Crowe Spain concluded that the 100 million euros should not be fully accounted for in this season's finances because the asset – new VIP seats – does not yet exist and cannot yet be considered as income for the club.
It added that based on its accounts Barcelona do not have the capacity to register Olmo and Victor.
Barca president Joan Laporta responded to LaLiga's statement on Wednesday ahead of his club's Copa del Rey semi-final, second leg at Atletico Madrid which is level at 4-4.
"Regarding the league's letter, we say that we see it as more of an attempt to damage the club's image and go against FC Barcelona's interests," he told reporters.
"Of course, the club will respond through its legal services, which are analysing LaLiga's letter in depth. We will respond as forcefully as necessary.
"Three months ago I said that Olmo and Pau Víctor's registrations had been carried out correctly, following each and every one of the requirements demanded by the RFEF and La Liga, and this is still the case."
FFP RULES
Barcelona, who have struggled in the last few years to comply with LaLiga FFP rules, signed Olmo and Victor in the close season but with the club unable to meet the wage cap they were registered for the first half of the campaign only.
Barca were originally blocked by LaLiga and the Spanish football federation (RFEF) from extending the two players' registrations for the second half of the 2024-25 campaignbefore the December 31 registration deadline.
However, Laporta said in January the club had closed a deal with Middle Eastern investors to sell the VIP boxes by the end of December which Barca thought, alongside a new seven-year kit deal with Nike, would be enough to allow them to balance their finances and meet the FFP rules.
LaLiga and RFEF did not agree and said those deals were only relevant after the December 31 deadline, revokingtheir licence.
But after two courts had also rejected Barcelona's requests to register Olmo and Victor, the club turned to the Spanish government and the National Sports Council (CSD) intervened.
The CSD upheld Barcelona's appeal and allowed the club to provisionally register the pair, stating that professional athletes "have the right to a sporting career in accordance with their potential with guarantees and certainty."
The three-month period for the provisional measure allowing Olmo and Victor to play ends on Monday when a final decision should be announced by Spanish authorities.
($1 = 0.9246 euros)
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas in Madrid; Additional reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
