Barcelona post record profit for last season
Reuters - Friday 20 July 2012, 18:37
Barcelona's failure to win La Liga
helped them post a record 48.8 million euro profit for the 2011/12 season, vice-president for economic
affairs Javier Faus said on Friday.
After two consecutive years of financial losses, and three
consecutive league titles, Barca were beaten to the top spot in
Spain by Real Madrid in May but avoided having to pay out 12
million euros in win bonuses.
"If we had won La Liga the overall surplus would have been
36 million euros and it would still have been the best
end-of-year figure in the history of the club," Faus said.
The Catalans increased their income 21.5 million euros to
494.9 million, while cutting back on expenditure which fell to
441.1 million euros, 31.5 million less than the previous year,
exceeding budget forecasts.
Faus said the profit, which had been achieved without the
sale of club assets, would be used to continue reducing the
club's total debt, which has been cut to 335 million euros from
420 million two years ago.
The increased revenues was helped by "spectacular" ticket
sales, an improved ticketing system, and sales from their Nike
and club megastore.
Cost savings had come from outsourcing of BarcaTV and
loaning out players among other things, while rescinding the
contracts of unwanted players such as Keirrison, Aleksandr Hleb
and Henrique had had a negative impact on the accounts.
Salaries had been slightly reduced to 298 million euros.
"It's difficult to reduce this figure further, we're working
to maintain stability," said Faus.