- Barcelona fined €15.7m
- Irregularities in payments to Turan and Song
- Hid cost of chartered flights
WHAT HAPPENED? According to Marca, the Spanish tax authorities have come down heavily on the Catalan club after the treasury found them guilty of not disclosing correctly the compensation received by Alex Song (€3.5m) and Arda Turan (€1.3m), after their contracts were mutually terminated. Moreover, they have also allegedly been found in the wrong for not declaring the cost of loaning Audi cars to their players and the cost incurred on chartered flights.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE: This current investigation began in 2019 and dates back to 2015. The Treasury inspectors claim that the cost of flights and cars cannot be counted as part of salary and hence have identified the actions as a breach of regulations.
AND WHAT'S MORE: Barcelona are already undergoing a financial crisis and are aiming to raise €150m in player sales in the summer, along with cutting down significantly on their wage bill to comply with La Liga rules amid reports of a potential move to re-sign club legend Lionel Messi. They are also under the scanner of authorities in Spain and UEFA for payments totalling €7.3 million to former vice-president of the Referee’s Committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, between 2001 and 2018.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT? Barcelona are yet to put out an official statement regarding the alleged payment irregularities and it remains to be seen whether they challenge the decision in the coming days.
