Real Madrid 13 - Barcelona 9

Real Madrid has positioned itself among the top-rated clubs in the recently launched Sport Transparency Index, earning a score of 13 out of 15 in a comprehensive evaluation of transparency and governance in European sport. While no organization achieved a perfect score, ten entities—including AC Milan, the Bundesliga, and Juventus—topped the index with 14 points.

Barcelona, by contrast, scored just 9 points, placing it well behind its historic rival in terms of institutional transparency and public accessibility of information.

The Sport Transparency Index, coordinated by the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) through SIGA Europe, was developed in collaboration with nine institutional partners and co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ program. It is the first evidence-based, independent tool designed to compare transparency and good governance levels across a range of sport organizations, including professional clubs, leagues, national federations, and international governing bodies.

“The launch of the Sport Transparency Index marks a significant advancement in a pioneering journey led by SIGA Europe, which has been undertaken over the last 30 months,” said Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, Global CEO of SIGA.

“In collaboration with a consortium of 11 partners and co-funded by the European Commission, we have designed, developed, and delivered a way to objectively and externally evaluate Transparency in Sport Governance at all levels of the industry.”

Real Madrid among the most transparent

Real Madrid received top marks in 13 of the 15 evaluated indicators, standing out for the quality of its publicly available information regarding governance structure, institutional relationships, sponsorships, and anti-corruption policies. Its only shortcomings were in the areas of data privacy and security policy and stakeholder engagement/consultation policy.

Barcelona, meanwhile, failed to meet criteria in six key areas: code of conduct, general assembly, stakeholder engagement, sports betting policy, compliance with accounting standards, and anti-corruption policy.

An open, collaborative, and evolving index

The index, which will be updated annually, is based on 15 universal indicators across three core dimensions: organization, operations, and finance. These include the presence of public policies on diversity, internal whistleblowing, procurement, and governance structures. Only publicly accessible policies are considered—internal documents are not counted unless published openly.

This outlet is a proud media partner of SIGA and supports its mission to foster a culture of integrity, transparency, and continuous improvement in the sport ecosystem.

The team behind the Index has made it clear they are open to working directly with clubs and federations to help improve their scores. Organizations may request reevaluation after updating their digital platforms with the required public information.

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