BARCELONA, Spain // Even with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in the team, a growing number of Barcelona fans are restless for change.
The discontent of the club members bubbled to the surface last weekend when the president and sports director were widely jeered by thousands of disgruntled fans. What the club had planned as a festive tribute video to Messi for breaking the Spanish league’s scoring record took an unpleasant turn when the taped congratulations from Josep Bartomeu and Andoni Zubizarreta were drowned out by ringing boos.
Read more: Luis Enrique says ‘I don’t feel like lady luck fell on our side’ after Barcelona’s win over Valencia
The fans know that Messi’s latest scoring feat, which came three days before he also topped the Champions League’s scoring chart, can’t mask a wretched run for the club off the field.
Not long ago Barcelona lived up to its motto of being “more than a club” as coach Pep Guardiola orchestrated some of the most attractive football ever while the club paid UNICEF to sponsor its shirts instead of cashing in on advertising like the rest.
With “Qatar Airways” now on its players’ chests, the club is mired in several legal battles and has lost its clean sheen of being the team that outshines its rivals.
Former Barcelona great Johan Cruyff recently said that the legal troubles embroiling the club, including those into Neymar’s transfer that led to its most recent former president, Sandro Rosell, to stepping down and giving Bartomeu his current job, are taking a serious toll.
“It’s pitiful to see Barca like this,” Cruyff said last month. “With UNICEF, it was the toast of the world. Everyone wanted to watch it play. We have lost so much prestige in the world.”
The Catalan club’s woes don’t stop there.
There is also former president Jose Luis Nunez, who ran the club from 1978-2000, going to prison for bribing tax officials to benefit his construction company, and the ugly courtroom battle between the current board and former president Joan Laporta.
Even Barcelona’s once lauded youth academy has fallen under scrutiny with FIFA banning the club from making new signings for one year.
Messi, who is facing his own problems over alleged unpaid taxes, pointed to “these moments that Barcelona is going through now” as one of the reasons he recently questioned whether he would be able to see through his desire of finishing the better part of his career with the team.
Barcelona’s answer to this multi-front crisis was to take a further risk by signing Suarez, one of the most divisive players in the game, fresh from his third suspension for biting an opponent.
The club now faces a critical season to see whether it can resolve its off-the-field problems as well as return to winning major titles after coming up empty-handed last year.
Zubizarreta, however, may not last until the summer. Signings such as the injury-plagued Thomas Vermaelen, who has yet to play and will be out another four-to-five months, and the little-known Brazilian defender Douglas, have put the former Barcelona goalkeeper under growing pressure.
On the field, Barcelona is settling in under new coach Luis Enrique. Sunday’s 1-0 win at Valencia came despite being outplayed for long stretches.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, is challenging Barcelona for the mantel of playing the most beautiful football in Europe, with Carlo Ancelotti guiding the club to the European title last season and a record 16 straight wins this week.
This all points to one conclusion: Barcelona either must rediscover its mesmerizing style and win a major title, or the club needs to heed its members and hold early elections at the end of the season, cutting short its current mandate that runs until June 2016, and start anew.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
