“At least 15% less”, “at least 15% less”. It is the mantra of Barcelona with its sections: next year, you have to spend less, “at least 15% less.” And that in handball is a lot. The most successful Barça in recent times, the one that has won two consecutive Champions League, faces another Final Four in Cologne this weekend under the threat of cuts from the Board of Directors of John Laporta.
With Magdeburg as their rival in the semifinals (Saturday, 3:15 p.m., DAZN) and PSG and Kielce in the other part of the draw, from within the team they propose another success, the third consecutive title, as the only antidote to the sales in the section . “If we win, we will have to keep the project,” they say, although they admit that in the coming years it will be difficult to continue fighting against the best teams in Europe.
Because? Because the loss of key players has already begun and it seems that it will increase. As soon as the Final Four is over, the club will see its second reference fly, the French pivot Ludovic Fabregas, a man who was supposed to be a Barça player forever. From a Catalan family, born and raised in Banyuls-sur-Mer, 10 kilometers from the border, the Frenchman has raised a family in Barcelona, but this summer he will leave for Veszprem after failing to reach a renewal agreement. A blow to the team. Which, actually, are two.
And it is that to replace him, the coach, Carlos Ortegahad requested the signing of Doctors Karalek and those responsible for the section had reached an agreement with him and his club, Kielce, but the Board of Directors knocked him down at the last minute. The reason: “At least 15% less” budget. And, for this reason, to fill the void left by Fàbregas next year, two young Spaniards will arrive, javi rodriguez y jamie gallegocoming from Logroño and Torrelavega, which will cost much less.
In general figures, the objective is to reduce the budget to just over seven million euros and thus position itself in a second continental line. Far above would be PSG and Kiel, which exceed 12 million, something above would be other German and French teams and some more Central European teams like Veszprém, but those responsible for Barcelona consider that it will still be possible to compete. With income from the section that barely exceeds 1.5 million, the entity’s accounts are not enough. The idea is that the team is based on its two leaders, the winger Dika Mem and the goalkeeper Gonzalo Perez de Vargasand in an excellent defense, but that is also in danger.