By Gareth Messenger
October 14 – Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has praised his own financial management of the club after an annual general meeting predicted record revenues.
The meeting reviewed Rosell’s current three-year term as president of the Catalan club as well as passing a budget of €509 million for 2013/2014. Furthermore, the financial results showed the club’s debt had dropped to €331 million from €430 million during the new board’s first three years in control at the Camp Nou. Figures for the last financial year showed a €73 million investment in youth teams and €35 million also being pledged into improving facilities, with a further €49 million left over.
Additional accomplishments at the AGM showed fees being tripled from club merchandise to €15 million in the last three years, along with the club’s official website receiving 45 million page views a month, published in eight different languages. There has also been an extreme increase in ticket sales in Catalonia, with a rise of 64 per cent since the 2009/2010 season.
“We have cleaned up the club over the last three years with a policy of transparency, austerity and growth,” Rosell said. “Reducing the debt is the real key to the battle for our economic management and what makes us different.”
Barcelona vice-president Javier Faus, responsible for overviewing the commercial side of the club, said Rosell was staying true to his commitment of sustainable financial management, and would step down if debts had not been resolved to the board’s satisfaction.
“When we took control, the president mandated that we professionalise the club,” he said. “We proposed that the best way to avoid mistakes was to protect the club from the board. The president, in an act of generosity, approved the measure that if certain ratios of sustainability were not met, he would step down.”
In April, Rosell announced he would run for a second term as president of Barcelona, despite having three years still to run on his current term, with former club president Joan Laporta expected to compete for the position in 2016.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734795866labto1734795866ofdlr1734795866owedi1734795866sni@r1734795866egnes1734795866sem.h1734795866terag1734795866. Gareth Messenger is Editor-in-Chief of www.laliganews.tv