Perhaps all that glitters isn’t gold after all. Take FC Barcelona—one of the biggest clubs in the world with a rich history in the game. With all their achievements, who would imagine them struggling so badly financially that they’d be forced to sell their best players just to survive? We saw it happen with Lionel Messi and several others. But who would have thought these money problems would creep into the women’s team as well, turning the Catalan giants into a target of criticism among fans!

Sure, winning a few trophies with countless goals and galore does make one admit that things are just fine at Nou Camp. However, it has only gone from bad to worse behind the scenes. Though one knows how the pandemic has brought about a major seismic shift in almost every club’s dynamics, here’s Barcelona, still tiptoeing around its balance books.

And looks like they aren’t done yet, as the Spanish giants are even dragging their women’s team into this dirt. We hope you’re not living under a rock, but FC Barcelona Femeni has been letting go of its crucial first-team players just to compensate for its uneven finances. Things have become so tough for the women’s squad that they are literally down to just 17 players.

Though one may wonder that tightening their roster to this extent might have done the job, you will be surprised they’re still a long way from going. Days ago, the Spanish outlet El Periódico reported that the Barcelona Femeni requires about €1 million ($1.1 million) to balance its books. The club tried to close the gap by trimming wages and selling players during the summer window, but the report says that still isn’t enough, meaning even more departures may follow.

There’s growing worry as the squad keeps losing players rather than adding them. Heck, even the youth setup is also being weakened as prospects head to leagues offering better resources and opportunities. In fact, the majority of these names have left by either running down their entire contract duration or by mutually terminating it.

Some of those include Ingrid Engen leaving for Lyon, England’s Euro 2022–winning goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck joining Aston Villa, Bruna Vilamala going to Club América, and Martina Fernández joining Everton. While Fridolina Rolfö is rumored to join Malmö, youngsters from the reserves — Judit Pujols, Ona Baradad, Meritxell Muñoz, and Onyeka Gamero — have also departed this year.

As per the reports, almost half of Barcelona’s squad will see their contracts expire next summer. While the majority of names have already left, there’s apparently more down the road. Key players such as Cata Coll, Ona Batlle, Claudia Pina, Salma Paralluelo, and Alexia Putellas are on that list, along with Jana Fernández, Caroline Graham Hansen, and Mapi León.

Though Barcelona hasn’t indicated who might leave, the club could consider selling players unlikely to sign new deals rather than risk losing them for free. Financial troubles are the main reason why we are witnessing a rather thin women’s squad training at the Ciutat Esportiva, with more departures allegedly on the horizon.

No wonder this situation has sparked outrage among fans, who accuse the club of cutting costs at the women’s team’s expense to protect the men’s side.

FC Barcelona grilled by soccer fans over making women’s team a victim

On one hand, FC Barcelona is bringing in a world-class striker like Marcus Rashford, albeit on loan, to strengthen their men’s squad. On the other hand, their women’s team continues to see player after player leave, with no low-cost signings even planned to maintain squad depth. No wonder this fan decided to channel all her anger at the Catalan club: “As a fan of the men’s and women’s teams, I am one of the outraged fans. Why are Barca Femeni, one of the best women’s clubs in THE WORLD, expected to suffer for the men’s side? Ridiculous.”

An obvious pattern here is that big-name players on hefty contracts are being pushed out of the club. This allows Joan Laporta and Co. to lighten the wage bill. With that in mind, one fan even suggested that selling two-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí might help the club balance the books — and even leave them “with change to spare.”

Then again, this raises a bigger question: why should the women’s team suffer, especially when they’ve been more successful than the men’s side? Three UEFA Champions League titles in the last five years speak for themselves, while the men haven’t lifted Europe’s coveted trophy since 2015:

“It’s 2025, and somehow women’s teams are still footing the bill for men’s bad money moves. Imagine winning everything, turning a profit, and still being told to cut costs because the guys overspent. Same story, new year. Barca femeni left with 17 first team players – is wild!” commented one fan.

As one of the biggest clubs in the world, Barcelona’s top priority should be attracting top talent from across the globe. However, the current strategy risks driving those big-name players straight to their rivals, weakening the club further. If things continue like this, can they ever regain their dominance on the world stage? That’s a question Barcelona’s leadership needs to seriously consider:

“So disappointed for the players and the women’s game. These players are the best in the world and get treated like this. Goodbye, Champions League. Is this the beginning of the end?” questioned one Barca fan.

The bigger issue may be that Barcelona as a whole is struggling. However, what many fail to notice is that it’s the women’s team being sacrificed once again to keep the men’s side running smoothly. Sure, the women’s game doesn’t draw the same level of attention as the men’s, but that doesn’t give Barcelona the right to tamper with the dynamics of their women’s squad.

Even if these steps are taken for the club’s overall welfare, similar measures should also apply to the men’s side. Whether it’s lowering salary caps for high earners, offloading players who aren’t essential, or relying more on the famed La Masia academy, all adjustments should be made with the men’s team in mind, not at the expense of the women’s project!

“I don’t go here but this is a terrible precedent to set/return to for the women’s game, in general. Plus, we shouldn’t even have to mention the impact that smaller rosters with unchanged fixtures can have on player health and safety. This is insane,” wrote another netizen.

Earlier this summer, a report compiled by Shekicks.net stated that Barcelona approached LaLiga to request changes to financial fair play (FFP) regulations regarding their women’s team. The Blaugranes wanted the budgets for the women’s and youth squads to be separated from that of the men’s first team.

However, it seems their request was denied as La Liga still includes all three men’s, women’s, and youth teams under the same financial restrictions. This only means that any signing for Barcelona Women also impacts the men’s team budget and will continue to do so. Ugh, tough time to be a Barcelona fan!

“It’s a complicated mess of being under the same FFP regulations. Men’s negligence caused it, and unfortunately women’s team impacted. But both struggling under their allocated budgets to meet their respective wage caps.”

Keeping aside the frustration and injustice to the women’s team, the harsh reality is that there’s nothing FC Barcelona can do within their power to stop this, other than getting a really big cash injection without the questioning of FFP. But since we know this isn’t gonna happen, one can only hope that the Spanish giants end up finding help for themselves, some way or the other.

While this was just a glimpse of the reaction, many others also took digs at the Laporta-led club, questioning their integrity for prioritizing the men’s team at the expense of the women’s squad. Regardless, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.