‘Mes que un Club’…The Barca fallacy

Football FanCast columnist Daniel McLelland feels that Barca hardly live up to their motto.

Amidst all the paeans and self aggrandisement following the Champions League success, few have questioned Barcelona's ‘Mes que un Club' (More than a Club) philosophy. The flaws in their grandiose mantra run deep and are not difficult to expose. They range from receiving government support, to poaching talented youngsters from across the globe.  

Advocates of Barca's philosophy argue that they allow Unicef's label to adorn their shirts and donate some money annually and are therefore more ethical than other clubs. While those gestures are noteworthy in themselves, it has become abundantly clear they are a band aid for a bullet wound.  

The case for the prosecution begins with Barcelona's exploitation of Spanish tax laws and their arrangements with local government. They and Real Madrid were key lobbyists for tax legislation that allowed footballers to pay only 23% income tax for the first five years in the country. Further, a loophole was inserted whereby those players choosing Spain over England received an additional 15% tax break. For the average Spanish taxpayer, who receives no such dispensations, it is difficult to understand how the legislation benefits them, not least in the midst of a deep recession. Barcelona and Real Madrid are unperturbed as it ensures the status quo remains.  

As a caveat to this, the Catalan club obtain low interest loans from local banks such as Banc Sabadell and Caixa Catalunya. The credit is not subject to Market fluctuations (as is the case with most other European clubs) because the Spanish government will not allow such titans to fail. Again, not a privilege likely to be extended to the everyday Spanish citizen. 

Yet another damning indictment of ‘Mes que un Club' is the Primera Liga television contract agreed in 2006. Since 2008, La Blaugrana has received £81.4 million per annum from Mediapro, a Catalan based Media Company. To put this in context, Manchester United gained just £30.65m for the 2007 Premier League season. Even more startling is that the deals of the biggest clubs in Spain outstrip the smallest in their division by 25 to one. The reason for this disparity is that Barcelona and Real Madrid negotiate their TV contracts individually as opposed to collectively. Resultantly, not only do the minnows of Primera Liga stand no chance of competing with the glitterati but TV subscribers are forced to pay exorbitant prices to fund this splurge. 

The issue of poaching young talent is much debated in World football currently and one that Barcelona have somewhat hypocritically highlighted. The Camp Nou club complained bitterly that youngsters like Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique were ‘stolen'. Yet, unsurprisingly, they neglect to mention their unsavoury history in this area. Lionel Messi was lured to Catalonia from Newell's Old Boys of Argentina at the age of 13 while Giovani Dos Santos (Sao Paolo of Mexico) and Thiago Motta (Juventus of Brazil) also arrived at a young age. The process continues to this day with Barca Youth Team players Gai Assulin and Thiago Alcantara do Nascimento being taken from Hapoel Haifa and Flamengo respectively. If one were to ask someone from Newell's Old Boys or Flamengo their thoughts on ‘Mes que un club', one suspects it would meet with a somewhat different response than Barcelona espouse. 

In modern football, substantial revenue for top clubs is generated from Pre Season tours. Barcelona can play the commercial business as well as any football club. As such, in 2008 they signed a deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) to play three friendlies per year until 2013. Not only does the contract prove lucrative to Barcelona's coffers, it allows them access to America's best young talent through club run soccer camps.  

It can be concluded that Barcelona should retain focus upon their beautiful and praiseworthy football ideals and refrain from philosophical hyperbole. The ultimate aim is to win trophies and Barcelona will do so at almost any cost. Joan Laporta, the Barca President understands that football is now a business and runs the club along much the same lines as commercial behemoths Real Madrid and Manchester United. Hence, until Barcelona are ready to forsake the more vulgar elements of their off field activities, they should leave the ethics to the Philosophers and concentrate on football. As it stands, ‘Mes que un Club' is a complete fallacy. 

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