Barca expect revenue of 1bn euro

BARCELONA: Barcelona expect to record revenues of more than one billion euros for the 2019-2020 season, becoming the first football club to pass the mark, the Catalan club announced on Thursday.

According to figures released ahead of the general meeting of their “socios” (supporters, shareholders) scheduled for October 6, Barca expect a revenue of 1.047 billion euros ($1.16 billion) in the fiscal campaign just started, which is six percent more than last season when the club generated 990 million euros.

“It’s an historic record for a sports club, it’s better than the NBA and NFL franchises and other football clubs,” Barcelona Managing Director Oscar Grau told a news conference.

Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu had set a strategic goal of being the first outfit to reach the one billion euro mark by the end of his presidency in 2021.

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez targetted a similar goal.

In the projected budget presented by Barca, the expenses amount to 1.007 billion euros for a net profit after tax of 11 million euros.

Grau explained that “one of the club’s challenges” was to “reduce the payroll” of its professional athletes.