Barcelona presidential elections set for March 7 with big financial challenges ahead at Camp Nou

The club has taken a financial big hit thanks to the pandemic

Barcelona will hold elections to determine the club's next president on March 7. The elections were previously scheduled for January 24th but were postponed due to the pandemic. Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freixa are all vying to lead the storied club, but whoever wins the election will have significant challenges on their hands

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit clubs and the sport hard, putting a financial burden on them like never before. With losses of revenue from broadcasting to matchday ticket sales and merchandise, even the biggest of clubs are feeling that financial strain. According to the Deloitte's Football Money League study on financial performance of the biggest clubs in the world, the top 20 clubs generated over $1 billion less during the 2019-20 season compared to the prior season. Manchester United and Barcelona lead the way in that revenue loss ranking.

While Barcelona has plenty going on with a struggling team and Lionel Messi's contract winding down, the impact of Covid-19 and an empty Camp Nou for almost a year now means big financial losses. Barcelona might have had the highest revenue of $715 million but they also had the second largest revenue fall of about $125 million.   

The report estimates the clubs will have missed out on over $2 billion in revenue by the end of the season. There has been a 23 percent drop in broadcast revenue, the report estimated, mainly due to revenue deferral and broadcast rebates. Matchday revenue was down 17 percent, while there was a three percent increase in commercial revenue.

Overall, every club in the top 10 lost money, while only two turned a profit in Zenit at plus-$56 million and Everton at plus-$1.5 million.