Barcelona’s attempts to register Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor for the remainder of the season were once again rejected by the Spanish league and federation on Saturday. The players had been registered only until the end of 2024, as Barcelona failed to comply with the league’s financial fair-play regulations by the end-of-year deadline.
In a joint statement, the league and federation clarified that although Barcelona eventually met the salary-cap requirements, the players cannot be re-registered after having been dropped due to the missed deadline.
Ahead of Barcelona’s 4-0 victory over fourth-division club Barbastro in the Copa del Rey, coach Hansi Flick shared that he had spoken with Olmo, who expressed his desire to continue playing for the club. “Dani wants to play for Barça,” Flick stated. “We need him, and also Pau Víctor; they are very good players. We need both of them. We just have to wait. That’s all we can do right now.”
Barcelona is expected to pursue legal action once more, although previous attempts to challenge the league’s decisions have been unsuccessful. The club argues that the registration deadline for new players should be extended to the end of January, coinciding with the closure of the transfer window, rather than the current end-of-December cutoff set by the league.
Recently, Barcelona was able to increase its salary cap after reportedly receiving a payment of 100 million euros ($103 million) for VIP seats at the renovated Camp Nou stadium.
Each La Liga club operates under a salary cap determined by various factors, including revenue, costs, and debts, typically amounting to approximately 70% of a club’s total revenue.
Barcelona has faced challenges in registering players due to ongoing financial difficulties, leading the club to implement financial strategies, including the sale of future television rights. These financial struggles were significant enough to result in the departure of Lionel Messi in 2021.
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