Could Barça Face the Same Fate as Olympique Lyon?
Olympique Lyon’s shocking drop to Ligue Two shook European football. A historic French club got relegated not for bad play, but for failing to meet financial rules. The problem? A €175 million hole. Fans quickly turned their eyes to FC Barcelona, another giant with big debts, between €1.2 and €1.3 billion. If Lyon can crash, many wonder, could Barcelona be next in line?
The comparison seems fair at first. Both clubs are big names, both have spent heavily, and both face money troubles. Dig deeper, though, and things look different. Spain and France run their leagues differently. France’s DNCG checks club finances yearly, punishing problems after they happen. La Liga keeps a tight leash, watching clubs every transfer window. Barcelona can’t spend what it doesn’t have, registrations get blocked, deals stall, and pressure hits early. That strict oversight has actually kept the club afloat.
Barcelona’s money problems started in 2020. A wage bill of over €600 million and COVID-19 revenue losses created a deficit. Josep Bartomeu’s big spending, like Lionel Messi’s huge contract, left a mess of salaries and payments. Joan Laporta, back as president, has worked to clean it up. The club’s ordinary debt is still high, but it’s carefully managed. The four billion euro figure in headlines includes Espai Barça, a stadium project funded separately from the club’s main budget.
Barcelona avoids Lyon’s fate because of cash flow. The club reported €950 million in revenue this season, with a VIP seat deal that could push it past one billion euros. Lyon, by contrast, earned just €368 million. That gap is huge. Barcelona’s income and commercial power let it handle debt better. La Liga sees this and gives the club some wiggle room, as long as it follows the rules.
Lyon got a warning last November from the DNCG: raise €175 million or drop to Ligue Two. They couldn’t. Barcelona has never faced such a direct threat. La Liga approves its financial plan, and deals like seat licenses and player sales are closely watched. Nothing is certain in football, but Barcelona’s collapse isn’t around the corner. As long as the club keeps fixing its gaps and watching its wallet, talk of a Lyon-like fall is just chatter, not a real warning.
