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Morning Espresso, 4.3: Barcelona rogue auditors, salary caps, and mystery sales
Welcome in for another edition of the Morning Espresso from the SDH Network, brought to you by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta's premier undergraduate learning experience and soccer powerhouse.
An auditor who worked for Barcelona for four days is the only one who included the €100million sale of VIP seating to Middle Eastern investors and now that has been questioned by La Liga, which could lead to Dani Olmo and Pau Victor's registrations being in question. When you think this story is as ridiculous as it could possibly be, the scriptwriters find something else even more ridiculous to add into the mix.
In reports filed from the previous auditor, who worked through sometime on December 31, and the unknown auditor who worked from December 31-January 3, and the next auditor who started on January 3 (we think)... only the unknown auditor had the sale included. That sale allowed Barcelona to have the additional salary cap space per La Liga rules to extend Olmo & Victor's registrations into 2025. But that sale either didn't happen, wasn't properly accounted for, or something else because it didn't show up on a subsequent financial report.
Lots for the courts, league, and federation to sort out in Spain. And it affects a potential bid for a quadruple from Barcelona who are leading La Liga, won the SuperCopa, alive in the Champions League, and now into the final of the Copa del Rey where they will face Real Madrid.
Announced this morning, the bid led by the US (which might or might not include Mexico as a co-host) was the only one submitted by the deadline to host the 2031 Women's World Cup. Gianni Infantino said at the UEFA Congress in Belgrade that other Concacaf nations could be involved in hosting matches, something that has been reported recently here in the US. The 2035 tournament will be hosted by Great Britain as it was the only to submit a bid in time for that event.
LAFC beat Inter Miami last night in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal, the first loss for the Herons in 2025 in all competitions. Nathan Ordaz with the goal in the second half, second leg is in Ft. Lauderdale next week.
Chattanooga Red Wolves won the penalty shootout across town at Finley Stadium to knock Chattanooga FC out of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in the second round in the first ever meeting between the two clubs. Over 12K were on hand for the game, 4th largest crowd in CFC history and their largest in a long time, 2nd largest in the 2nd round in the history of the USOC.
Jose Mourinho did another ridiculous thing, which is becoming commonplace for him at this stage of his career. He grabbed the face of the opposing manager after yesterday's Turkish Cup match between his Fenerbahce & Galatasaray. The ridiculous actions seem to come on a bi-weekly basis for Mourinho at this stage, sad after one of the greatest careers for a manager in history but completely inexcusable to act in this manner.
Liverpool defeated Everton yesterday 1-0, Everton should have had a player sent off for a horrendous challenge, but Liverpool's goal was controversial as well. Referees got it right according to how the rule is written, but I'm asking IFAB to consider changing the Laws of the Game to account for situations like this. When a pass is made for a player in an offside position, that should make them active in the play, regardless of whether they move for the ball or not. Defenders have to play the ball in that situation because they don't know if the player is offside from their vantage point. The defender shouldn't be punished for playing that ball by that action allowing the offside player to be now in an onside position. Luis Diaz was onside according to the letter of the LOTG, but not the spirit in my opinion and this should be changed going forward in interpretation.
Published on 3 months ago