Breaking news, Bacelona may be expelled from Champions League: these are the details

During the last few weeks Barcelona have had problems on the pitch. The team's performances have not been convincing and they have suffered some painful defeats in Champions League and especially in La Liga. This caused harsh criticism to some players and mainly to coach Xavi Hernandez, as many believe that he has made strategic mistakes and has not been able to solve the team's problems.

This is in addition to other conflicts that the Spanish side has had in recent years and that have affected performance on the field. Bad decisions by the club's previous chiefs caused them to lose a lot of money and get into debt, which caused financial fair-play problems that prevented president Joan Laporta from investing in the recruitment of top players in the last transfer windows.

But not even the most pessimistic of fans could have imagined news like the one that broke this week. According to Die Welt, the Spanish side could be expelled from the Champions League by UEFA's decision because of these financial problems. According to the German newspaper, the confederation's officials consider that the last economic balance presented by Barcelona is a "disaster".

This is because in October the club presented its annual financial report with a net profit of €304 million (more than $335 million), a figure they achieved mainly thanks to the sale of 15% of the broadcasting rights of their matches in La Liga for the next 25 years and the sale of part of Barça Studios. The problem is that UEFA rules state that the only sales that can be considered are those that are directly related to soccer and therefore the Spanish club could be considered to have violated the regulations.

What will happen?

According to Die Welt, Barcelona could receive a heavy sanction from UEFA. Expulsion from the Champions League would be the worst news for them, as they are already qualified for the round of 16, where they will face Napoli. But that's not all: they could also be banned for two or three years. "The bigger the loss, the bigger the penalty," UEFA representatives assured the German newspaper.