Barcelona at risk of UEFA ban from Champions League as details of alleged rule breach emerge

European heavyweights Barcelona are at risk of facing sanctions from UEFA for the Champions League next season due to financial irregularities. The club are alleged to have breached financial rules put in place by European football's governing body and will face punitive action.

Every year, UEFA looks at the records of teams participating in European club competitions and determines which ones have fallen foul of their Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. For 2025, the list includes Barcelona, who have qualified for the Champions League for the 2025-26 season.

The Spanish giants breached UEFA's financial regulations in 2024, leading the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to rule that they receive a £420,000 fine. The ruling came with a warning of a stricter punishment if the breach was repeated, with a ban from the Champions League a possibility. Finding themselves falling behind once more, Barcelona sanctioned the sale of their broadcasting rights and in-house content hub but UEFA ruled the sale to be inadmissible to their financial records.

The ruling by UEFA was because they considered the the funds raised from the sale to be profit made on disposal of intangible assets, and they rejected it. This leaves Hansi Flick's side at serious risk of a ban from the Champions League for the 2025-26 season, at least.

The Catalan giants could also receive a points deduction for the league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League season or a squad size reduction, as their punishment. The punishment will likely be announced soon as the club remains in a state of financial turmoil despite winning LaLiga in the 2024-25 season.

Barcelona closing in on bargain deal for Swedish sensation: Reports

Barcelona are close to completing a move to sign Swedish youngster Roony Bardghji from FC Copenhagen, as per reports. The Spanish giants are set to sign the 19-year-old winger as part of their bid to improve their squad depth ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Hansi Flick's side have had a £2 million bid for the highly-rated teenager accepted by the Danish club. They will retain a 15% sell-on clause for the youngster, who will now join Barcelona in July.

Bardghji was one of Europe's biggest talents but suffered an ACL injury in the 2023-24 season. He decided against extending his deal with Copenhagen and would have been available for free in December, leading the club to accept offers for him. FC Porto submitted an offer that was accepted, but the teenager prefers a move to Spain.

Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen