May 11, (THEWILL) – Spanish tax authorities have levied a massive fine of €15.7 million against Barcelona for failing to disclose the correct compensation received by former players Alex Song and Arda Turan.
The club has also been accused of not reporting the cost of loaning Audi cars to their players and chartered flights. This investigation began in 2019 and has now come to a close, with the Treasury inspectors claiming that the cost of cars and flights cannot be counted as part of salary, hence the actions are a breach of regulations.
This news comes at a time when La Blaugrana is already struggling financially, with the club looking to sell players worth €150m this summer while also cutting down on their wage bill to comply with La Liga rules. Furthermore, there are reports of a potential move to re-sign club legend Lionel Messi.
Barcelona is also facing scrutiny from Spanish authorities and UEFA for alleged payments of €7.3 million to former vice-president of the Referee’s Committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, between 2001 and 2018.
The Catalan side is yet to make an official statement on the matter, and it remains to be seen whether they will challenge the decision in the coming days. They are, however, on course to win La Liga for the first time since 2018.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
