Barcelona would be able to register new manager despite Fair Play troubles

According to a detailed report from Mundo Deportivo, La Liga’s Fair Play rule would allow Barcelona to sign a new manager even if he is expensive.

It is no secret that Xavi’s immediate future at Barcelona is under immense and this begs the question of whether Barcelona can register a new coach even if he comes with a high salary. 

As Ramon Fuentes writes in the aforementioned publication, the answer is yes.

This is true regardless of the ‘fair play’ or salary limits that La Liga will inform the club about in early June, based on the documents submitted at the end of April.

How is this possible?

Several factors were considered in these documents, all under La Liga’s fair play rules, including the club’s income statement, cash budget, investment and divestment budget, and financing budget for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.

La Liga rules for the Preparation of Budgets for Clubs and SADs (public limited sports companies) include an article that addresses the registration of a new coach for clubs that exceed their spending limits, such as Barcelona.

Specifically, point 3 of article 93 states: 

“In the case of Clubs/SADs exceeding their Sports Squad Cost Limit at the beginning of season T (in this case 2024-2025) that do not have the cost of their Coaching Body in the total of the Sports Squad Cost, said cost will be recorded within the Sports Squad Cost of the T season (2025-2025). 

Barcelona will be able to register the new manager if signed. (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)

“This despite not having carried out the necessary operations to save the squad cost or increases in the Squad Limit or registration capacity necessary for this. 

“However, if throughout the T season (2024-2025) the Club/SAD does not carry out the aforementioned necessary operations, to be able to compute the cost of the aforementioned Technical Staff as part of its Registrable Sports Squad Cost in said season, said cost will be computed increased by 20% in the Registrable Sports Squad Cost of the T+1 season (2025-2026).”

What does all of it mean?

In simpler terms, Barcelona could register a new coach for the 2024-2025 season if he joins the club. However, throughout the season, the club would need to balance the costs incurred by this registration. 

If they fail to do so, this debt will be added to the team’s budget for the 2025-2026 season with an extra 20% cost.

This rule gives Barcelona the flexibility to bring in a new coach despite financial constraints, but it also imposes a penalty if the club cannot manage its budget within the set limits. 

This ensures that while clubs can make necessary changes, they also face consequences for not adhering to financial discipline.