EQS-News: Further Delay in the Publication of the 2023 Financial Statements

Frankfurt am Main, May 31, 2024 – LIBERO football finance AG ("LIBERO") hereby announces that the publication of the financial statements for the fiscal year 2023 will be further delayed. Following the announcement on April 26, 2024, that the publication was expected to be postponed until May 31, 2024, the management board of LIBERO now anticipates that the publication will likely occur by the end of July 2024.

The reason for this additional delay is the ongoing legal proceedings in Spain related to the planned partnership with FC Barcelona in 2023. On August 11, 2023, LIBERO reported that it would become a strategic partner of FC Barcelona, which involved the acquisition of a stake in Bridgeburg Invest S.L. Barcelona, the holding company of Barça Vision. The refinancing of the purchase price (approximately EUR 40 million) was secured at the time of the transaction through a guarantee by an external, financially strong investor. However, due to subsequent missed payments by the investor, LIBERO was ultimately sued by Barça Produccions S.L. for fulfillment of the contractual payment. Concurrently, LIBERO has filed a counterclaim against Barça Produccions S.L. for breach of contract and has also legally pursued its own claims against the investor based on the guarantee in the same amount. These legal proceedings, including LIBERO’s counterclaim against Barça Produccions S.L., are currently ongoing.

The executive board anticipates that these legal disputes will be resolved shortly. The board believes that, regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit against LIBERO, any potential obligations arising from it will likely be covered by the investor, and therefore, no negative impact on LIBERO is expected. The executive board currently estimates that by the end of July 2024, there will be sufficient clarity on the development of these legal matters, allowing the audit of the financial statements to be completed and the 2023 financial statements to be published.