“We cannot accept the agreement with CVC. It would be a bad deal for Barça because it would tell us what they could or could not do.” Eduard Romeu, economic vice-president of the azulgrana club, has been forceful. “Enough is enough!” Said the leader in an interview with Jordi Basté on RAC-1.
“If you sign this you will have this, if you don’t sign it, no. CVC is a good agreement for a small club. For a bigger and international club it is not a good deal”, he said in reference to the attitude of Javier Thebesthe president of LaLiga, whom he considers “co-responsible” for the very serious economic situation that is suffocating Barça because “he looked the other way and said amen against Barça’s interests”.
It has been a year and four months since the directive of Joan Laporta manages the club surfing on the dramatic inheritance received from Josep Maria Bartomeu. “The situation was worse, much worse than we imagined. We arrived in mid-March and in May we couldn’t pay the payroll,” Romeu said, admitting that the club is working on reducing the wage bill, the highest in football European.
“The situation was worse, much worse than we imagined. We arrived in mid-March and in May we could not pay the payroll”
Romeu, Barça’s economic vice-president
“Mateu has done a great job, but what was there was so big that you hardly see it. It has dropped more than 150 million euros in one season,” said the Barça economic vice president. “But it’s not enough, it’s not yet. At Barça we have a wage bill of 560 million and Bayern Munich’s is, for example, 300. It’s almost double,” he said.
“disproportionate wages”
Romeu has given the example of Madrid’s wage bill. “It is in the line that we would like to have ourselves. It is 400 million.” In other words, Barça, already without Messi for a year, has 160 million euros more in spending than the club he presides over Florentino Perez to maintain the workforce, so the salary reduction is more than necessary.
The directive will go individually analyzing, above all, the economic impact of three of the four captains (Busquets, Piqué and Jordi Alba), whose salaries are among the highest in the squad. “The most expensive are those that must be negotiated beforehand. Salaries are totally disproportionate and inflated,” he acknowledged.
With the veterans it will go according to the technical interests and where there is more interest for the club. But they have signed agreements and here they are talking about putting their hands in these people’s pockets,” he said. Romeo with extreme tact. “They have not committed any sin, but we cannot allow ourselves certain situations, so we have to make an assessment and negotiate with them.”
“At Barça we have a wage bill of 560 million and Bayern Munich’s is, for example, 300. Madrid’s is 400”
Romeo, economic vice president of Barça
“If any captain will leave? That is the player’s own decision, they have some agreements that someone has signed for them. They have not deceived anyone. The negotiations will be individual, coffee for all will not apply in this house”, he stressed Romeu, also assuming that Barça is experiencing one of the worst economic situations in its history. It urgently needs liquidity in addition to lowering income. “Sign Lewandowski? Now, as we have it by regulation, it is not possible. There is the 1/3 rule. For every three euros of departure we can invest one.”
Hence the need to activate the “levers”, a term always used by Laporta, as soon as possible. “We are very close to closing things,” Romeu revealed, although, for now, the offer for BLM (“it is 275 million and we don’t like it”) has not yet been accepted. “We are talking with investment funds, I don’t know if we will reach 270, but we want to be close, but for 25 years, not for 50 as the League said.”
“Sign Lewandowski? Now, as we have it by regulation, it is not possible. There is the rule of 1/3. For every three euros of departure we can invest one”
Romeo, economic vice president of Barça
In addition, Romeu has explained that “he has not budgeted one euro for the sale of the players” as the main window to obtain the necessary income. He remains, according to the leader, subject to Xavi’s technical desire. Later, he has influenced his complaints about Thebes’ attitude.
“It is not normal for a person who is an employee of the League to be to kill with the two main shareholders,” he said about the public fight he has with Barça and Madrid.
Five years to balance the accounts
Romeu would be happy if he had 600 million to balance the club’s dramatic accounts, in addition to specifying that “he will need the entire legislature” of the board to balance the numbers. For this reason, forced as Barça is to lower the wage bill, traumatic measures are not ruled out to guarantee economic viability. “I asked the partner for two years of patience and we are in the first. We need five to straighten out the equity balance.”
“Inflate losses? “Too soft we went. We have fallen short. It bothers me a lot that this is said and if they insist on it I will think that there is a lot of bad faith”
Romeo, economic vice president of Barça
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In that sense, Romeu was irritated when he was reminded that the Laporta board had inflated losses. “We were too soft. We have fallen short. It bothers me a lot that this is said and if they insist on it, I will think that there is a lot of bad faith”, he has specified.
“It would only be necessary for us to go through the funnel of Mr. Tebas. There is a moment when we must say enough is enough. And we have said enough is enough! That’s it! We have said enough is enough to this agreement as it is now! We are Barça. This is not It could be. That it’s Barça’s fault for the situation it’s in, of course it is. But this man is co-responsible and he won’t get this out of my mind no matter how many tweets he makes. He looked the other way and allowed this situation. Why what? Because he said amen to everything. Let’s stop fooling around!” Romeu said angrily.