Barcelona could be facing a ban from the 2024/25 Champions League over violations of financial regulations, reports claim.
The Blaugrana have reached the round of 16 after topping Group H and will take on Serie A champions Napoli across two clubs.
But fresh reports say the club are at risk of expulsion from European football's premier club competition after falling afoul of Financial Fair Play rules.
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Barca's financial issues in recent times have been well-documented but they announced a net profit of 304 million euros back in September.
However, according to a report from WELT, the club's balance sheets were "a mess".
Barca received a €500,000 fine from UEFA in the summer, with the governing body's financial control chamber ruling that the Catalan outfit "incorrectly declared profits" and that their income was not "relevant".
It's said that a ban for "two to three years" is possible and an approach of "he greater the loss, the greater the penalty" will be taken.
But a possible suspension may not affect the club as much as one might assume given they are one of the driving forces of the European Super League's relaunch.
Barca immediately reacted to the verdict of the European Union of Justice on Thursday and shared their desire to be part of the breakaway competition.
A statement read: "FC Barcelona wishes to express its satisfaction with the sentence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) assessing the Super League project as proposed by A22 Sports.
"As one of the clubs driving the Super League project, FC Barcelona feels that the sentence paves the way for a new elite level football competition in Europe by opposing the monopoly over the football world, and wishes to initiate new discussions as to the path that European competitions should take in the future."
A long list of clubs distanced themselves from any involvement, however, and both UEFA and FIFA say the ruling does not change the situation.
Topics: Barcelona, Champions League, European Super League, La Liga
Josh Lawless