Barcelona will finish paying off its stadium renovation debts 5 years ago, under new terms. The Spanish newspaper "Confidencial" and the newspaper "La Vanguardia" stated that Barcelona – the leaders of the local football league – will finish paying off the debts it borrowed to finance the renovation of its stadium 5 years earlier than previously agreed upon, after renegotiating a financial plan worth 1.5 billion euros ( $1.6 billion) with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan. The interest rate will be 5.5%, according to reports, although the club insists that it will be able to refinance the loan after 5 years, with the aim of renegotiating and lowering the interest once the stadium is operational. Under the new terms, Barcelona committed to final payment in 2047 instead of 2052. Club sources told Reuters today, Thursday, "This is a very complex process, and once it is formalized, we will make an announcement." The renegotiation comes amid an arbitration scandal involving Barcelona, which was described by European Union President (UEFA) Alexander Ceferin – last Monday – as "one of the most serious" incidents in football. UEFA opened a formal investigation into Barcelona's case last month over a possible breach of the Confederation's legal framework regarding payments from the club to a company owned by a senior refereeing official. Barcelona paid an alleged sum of 7.3 million euros ($7.96 million) between 2001 and 2018 to companies owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negrera, vice-president of the arbitration committee of the Spanish Football Federation at the time. In a statement issued last February, the Catalan club denied any wrongdoing, saying that it paid money to an external consultant who provided it with technical reports related to arbitration, and claimed that it is common among professional football clubs.

The "Confederation" website and the Spanish newspaper "La Vanguardia" stated that Barcelona – the leaders of the local football league – will finish paying off the debts it borrowed to finance the renovation of its stadium 5 years earlier than previously agreed upon.

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