The Spanish newspaper Barca News reported on Saturday that FC Barcelona has faced financial difficulties in recent years, leading the club to participate in numerous friendly matches — in addition to an already packed schedule, sometimes even mid-season — in order to generate much-needed revenue.
According to the report, the club held friendly matches in Sydney in 2022 and in Cuba in 2023, while also playing a similar match in Saudi Arabia during the 2021–22 mid-season against Boca Juniors.
The newspaper added that there had been discussions about the Catalan team playing a friendly in Libya, after reaching an agreement with Libya’s Minister of Investment and a member of the House of Representatives. However, the club later withdrew from the agreement due to the situation in Libya, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The report concluded that Barcelona was set to receive €5 million for their appearance in Libya and had already received the amount before deciding to return it.
