Barcelona: The path forward to a return to greatness
Barcelona needs to figure out its priorities.
Barcelona needs to understand what it values as a club fully. To be clear, I am defining ‘value’ as something intangible or tangible that the organization or an individual wants to obtain or maintain.
In Barça’s history, the club has valued three things: winning trophies, making money, and playing with flair and beauty.
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I am not opposed to these values; however, the club needs to prioritize which value is more important.
In the last three years, it has been clear that winning trophies has been the value that Barcelona has desired the most.
Let me be abundantly clear.
There is nothing wrong with winning titles and lifting cups into the air with confetti raining down all over the pitch like radiated snowflakes.
However, when you sacrifice the value of the club’s financial survival, you are running the risk of complete self-destruction in the long term.
All football teams must prioritize the value of business survival and growth over winning championships. Barcelona is in such poor financial shape that it is closer to insolvency than winning the Champions League or La Liga.
The first step on the path forward for Barcelona is to commit to the idea that this club is a business, and its primary moral obligation is to generate revenue and make a profit.
This is a hard step to make for Barcelona as their core ethos has been intertwined with the politics and culture of Catalonia. Yet, it must be done to survive.