UEFA's harsh punishment for Barça! Deco is already saying goodbye to signings

Deco has been one of the most singled-out people in the board of directors in recent months because of his moves. Signings like Vitor Roque's have made part of the fans doubt his talent as a top executive, but the reality is that his decisions have been mostly correct. In fact, Hansi Flick's addition was exclusively thanks to Deco, as Laporta confirmed a few days ago.

Barça, after a long journey, has climbed to the top of Europe and is once again instilling fear among all rivals. Those from the Catalan capital have had significant financial problems, but they're starting to breathe again. However, unexpectedly, UEFA has set off all the alarms with a major sanction for the Catalan club.

Uefa makes things difficult for Barça

UEFA's top officials have closely followed Barça's steps and it seems there have been several they didn't like. Those from the Catalan capital have had to pull several levers to be able to comply with Financial Fair Play, make signings, and keep competitive. This decision has led to punishment from the top European body.

UEFA has imposed a €60 million ($65 million) sanction on the Catalan side for the levers used in 2022. In the end, Joan Laporta has managed to reduce the amount to €15 million ($16.3 million) if the club manages to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.

Obviously, this is unexpected news and it complicates the arrival of signings for this summer. UEFA considers that the levers used by Joan Laporta don't fall within legality and that's why Barça has been punished. Now Deco will have to get creative to fulfill Flick's wishes and requests.

Deco will have to juggle

In the best-case scenario, Deco won't be able to use €15 million ($16.3 million) for signings, an amount that Barça currently needs. It's likely that the sporting director will have to tighten his belt and say "no" to some additions. Flick has requested the arrival of a winger.

In a matter of weeks, we'll know how everything ends and whether the club's finances suffer because of UEFA's decision. The punishment could've been worse if not for Joan Laporta's presence. The president, after meeting with UEFA, explained what the levers consisted of, but he only managed to reduce the sanction from €60 million ($65 million) to €15 million ($16.3 million).