Barcelona are strapped for cash at the moment. The Catalans have never been in a more dire situation. Apart from their long term loan of over 1 billion euros, they have also accumulated a lot of short term loans which they have to repay. Negotiations and readjustments with other clubs are taking up a lot of time and resources. This of course ends up hurting the whole club including the team. A lot of players want more pay or are afraid of being cut off from the team due to the lack of funds. The results have not been very steady either and the new era under Joan Laporta has begun with a rocky start.
The only way out of this predicament is either a huge loan from an investment bank or the project Espai. Project Espai is basically a renovation project for Camp Nou plus a whole new world of leisure, entertainment, and sports for fans and spectators. Barcelona have made a detailed public announcement of what they want to do with project Espai and it all seems very promising. Apart from reconstructing the Camp Nou and adding new seats via the Goldman Sachs loan, Barcelona also intends on adding complexes, new offices and even a hotel.
Complexes, hotels and leisure centres are a great way of raising more funds, and it allows the fans to feel more close to the club. The Catalans also intend on renovating the Palau Blaugrana so that more people can be fitted into the stadium/sports centre. The ice rink will also be kept so that more revenue can flow in. The majority of the money should come from the hotel and the leisure centre and according to the club, the plans won’t require more than 200 euros per year. This is great news for Barca fans as the club finally has a solid and productive way of coming out of the financial mess and they can finally look forward to the future.
What should Barca do to help recover their finances?