Barcelona players set for bizarre fine if rules are broken
FT Desk
- 5 Sept 2022 19:55 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona may have struggled to register all of their players for official games this season, but they have still set some draconian rules for their playing squad.
Barca were on the brink of financial collapse before activating "financial levers" which effectively saw them sell a percentage of future revenues for liquid capital now.
Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde were bought for a combined €160 million, while Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie have since been followed to the club by Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso on free transfers.
Lewandowski will cost Barcelona more than €100m 💰
Worth it, Barca fans? 🤔https://t.co/m759Gn3Ekc— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) September 5, 2022
Kounde, despite joining in a €50m deal from Sevilla in July, wasn't registered until three games into the La Liga season, though, with Barca scrambling to abide by La Liga financial regulations.
It seems the worst of the financial storm is beginning to blow over for the Catalan giants, but the players still have exacting standards expected of them.
New rules
"New rules: Barca players are not allowed to use social media during training & games to maintain discipline," reports Cadena SER journalist Sique Rodriguez.
"They are obligated to remain in good physical shape and cannot perform activities such as skiing, climbing, jet ski etc.
"Barca can [also] reduce the salaries of players by 10% if they refuse to take part in promotional events."
Barca already owe Frenkie de Jong €17m in deferred wages, while they rescinded Martin Braithwaite's contract at the end of the transfer window before he joined Espanyol.
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The new rules are marked shift from the Barcelona Dream Team era in the early 1990s, during which time Brazil striker Romario made a pact with Johan Cruyff in order to attend the Rio Carnival mid-season.
Barca's new players have adapted quickly this season, though, and sit second behind Real Madrid at the top of La Liga having made an undefeated start to the campaign.
