How it affects the limit salarial of the Barça in the market of signings?

"Limit salarial" or "Fair Play Financial" have been of the most listened terms when in the FC Barcelona pose a signing, was in January or July. It is, of simple form, the maximum amount that each club can 'spend' in a season regarding the cost of the sportive staff, something that goes much more there of the wage of the players of the Barça or any Spanish team and in which they influence a lot of factors to determine his value.

Surely, all remember when, to the moment to announce the exit of Leo Messi the past summer, the Barça announced in his official communiqué that, in spite of having arrived to an agreement with the player, "will not be able to formalise because of economic and structural obstacles (rule of LaLiga Spanish)". The 'obstacles' summary to that the Barcelona entity exceeds the maximum of his limit salarial and that, therefore, has to employ some strategies to inscribe to his new footballers (as it was the case of Messi) and that, in a lot of cases, are impossible to assume.

However, it is necessary to split of the principle that has the limit salarial of LaLiga. In the web of the patronal define it like "the maximum amount that each club/SAD can consume during the season 2021/2022 after the market of summer, and that includes the cost in players, first trainer, second trainer and preparador physical of the first team", adding that the limit "includes besides the cost in subsidiaries, quarry and other sections (staff no inscribible, as it defines in the Article 38 of the Norms of Preparation of Budgets)".

Like this then , the limit salarial calculates with an equation 'simple' between the planned income that has the team, deduced his payments of structure and the cost of the planned debt for said season. The result, is the 'LPCD'. This, updates after the market of signings of summer and after the incorporations of the month of January, put always there is a modification by exits or incorporations.

In this sense, to the income by rights by television, agreements of sponsorship, partners and credited, income by competitions (League, Glass, Europe), income of exploitation, advertising and sales of players (with plusvalías) subtract him the costs, that are: wages of players and trainers, amortizaciones of the players, commissions to representatives, prime, compensations, as well as the quarry and subsidiaries.

The point that more subtracts, obviously, are the wages of the players. Going in in this season, the Barça stood out that the mass salarial was of some 470 million euros. With the forecast of the income, from LaLiga 'pactaron' a limit of 97.942 millions for the season (will see reduced/increased in February), that is to say, the cost of the staff of the Barça is 372.052 'kilos' elder of what, in theory, can the club spend in question of wages.

Direct effect in the plans of the Barça

The limit salarial does not remain in a 'ceiling' or 'tope', but it influences to a large extent in the plans of future of the Barça or any club that exceed the mount total. The picture culé already exceeded it the past year, but by the pandemia did not exist consequences. However, for the next exercise yes go them to have. And it is that the mount that it surpasses the club this year, will be subtracted of the limit of the next course... How it will be a 'ceiling' salarial to the that go him to subtract 372 'kilos'?

Of there it is born the imperial need to recess the mass salarial, so that it was not so traumatic, but the consequences no only go on a long-term basis, but they affect the immediate future of the club culé with the signings. This situation answers, easily, the interrogante of why, if the Barça already fichó to Ferran Torres, can not be inscribed in LaLiga? The reason is very simple: as it exceeds the limit, the club does not have 'fair play' and, if it does not have, has to stick to two rules that are a quebradero of head.

Produce income to inscribe

"There are a lot of duties, but immediately do 'fair play', it is necessary to do exits before they go in. Have very clear the players that want, but before have to fulfil with the 'fair-play' financial", commented Mateu Alemany after the Seville-Barça. The director of football of the Catalan entity refers to the article number 100 that gives a road of leakage to the clubs that exceed his limit salarial in a season.

And it is that, although a club surpass the mount that pacta LaLiga, can follow fichando. For this is the rule '1 to 4', which establishes that by each four euros freed with a sale with plusvalías or discount salarial, can use one to inscribe to a player. In a simple example, if it achieves the sale of, for example, Òscar Mingueza by 20 million euros, the Barça can use 5 'kilos' of those to process a registration.

However, there is another rule with which is easier to generate income. It treats of the '1 to 2', which uses andn players that represent 5% of the total cost of the staff and allows to use the half of what free with his sale/recesses salarial. For example, if the Barça sold to Sergio Busquets (one of the best paid and without amortización pending) in 20 millions, can use ten for the registration of a footballer.

What happened with the 20M of 'fair play' that had the Barça of the summer?

At the beginning of the month of October, the CEO of the club, Ferran Reverter, announced that the Barça could go out to the market of signings of January because there was a margin of 'fair play' positive: "Yes, it can fichar. The last exit of an important player generates us a fair play positive of 20 millions", referring to the traspado of Antoine Griezmann to the Athletic of Madrid.

Nine days afterwards, announced the renewal of Pedri González. The midfield player saw improved his agreement, with an extension of his stay in the Camp Nou until 2026 and a wage of around three million euros, as you report them. There it is when it begins to subtract. After this, arrived the renewal of Ansu Fati, on 21 October. The canterano signed an agreement until the 2027 and will see a significant improvement of his annual income. Ansu Could brush the 8 or 10 million euros by season. A very upper figure to what earned up to now and that, as it begins to be effective from this season follows subtracting to the 20 'kilos' of profit in the summer.

The dismissal of Ronald Koeman also supposes an outlay for the Barça that imputes for this period and that the club is forced to pay. It speaks of some 13 million compensation and, by consistent, also subtract to the mount above-mentioned. To this, it is necessary to add him the contracting of the new trainer and technical body, that curiously has been the most economic (2,5M, apróximadamente).

The 'bajón' of the limit salarial, with reasons

To understand the magnitude of the 'bajón' it is necessary to remember that the Barça declared losses of 481 million euros in the exercise 2020-2021 and that, of there, splits all the related to the so low number that approved LaLiga of face to this season. In spite of the exits of Leo Messi and Griezmann, those who were the two players with wages higher and, although if they went down the mass salarial (was of some 670 'kilos'), the impact of the losses during the past year were 'lethal' for the Barcelona club.

To this, it is necessary to add him the closing of the stadiums the past year and the early elimination in the Champions League, but also there is a 'detail' that has overlooked and that had a big impact in the calculation of the limit salarial of the culés. The explanation, in concrete, of the 'bajón', are due to the losses, that are posed (from the club) of this way:

Total losses of the 20-21: 481 million euros, desenglosadas in:

1. Provisions (by litigios): 90 millions
2. Adjust of the value of the staff: 138 millions
3. Effective losses 20-21: 253 millions

The third point are the real losses of the Barça in the past exercise, but to this the board of Joan Laporta has added him two key factors that increased the losses, with provisions, the quantity that, in spite of being a passive, impute like losses of the current exercise under the name of "unavoidable costs". Likewise, the Board recognises a depreciation of the staff in 25% (the 138 'kilos'), an adjust very big, that resume the 'fallen' of the value of the players.

What happens with these two points? They are more than 200 millions in losses that have decided impute in this exercise and that it is very negative, but that will allow that in the following years the situation of the Barça in the next years (in the books, at least) was much more favourable, but that punished to the Barcelona entity in this course because, to greater loss, lower is the limit salarial and more are the fetters to be able to inscribe (and therefore, fichar) to new footballers.