Irish Examiner view: Barcelona rolls the dice on staying competitive

Spanish giant has sold 25% of its predicted TV revenues to a US financier for the next 25 years

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores Barcelona's first goal against Real Madrid in La Liga Santander in June. Picture: Denis Doyle/Getty Images

After a summer of outstanding Irish sport — the triumph over the All Blacks in New Zealand being a once-in-a-lifetime event — the Premier League returns next weekend for a strangely interrupted season. The competition will cease on Monday, November 14, and not return until St Stephen’s Day. It’s making way for the World Cup in Qatar.

But that is not the only peculiar thing. Those with a knowledge of soccer, and who can work a calculator, know that Barcelona FC, the organisation that likes to say that it is ‘Mes Que Un Club’ — more than a club — was on the point of bankruptcy nearly 12 months ago.