Dani Olmo and Pau Victor are officially eligible to represent FC Barcelona for the remainder of the season, according to a recent ruling by Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD).
Last summer, La Liga provisionally granted Barcelona the licenses to register both Dani Olmo and Pau Victor. However, these approvals were subsequently revoked when La Liga asserted that the club failed to demonstrate compliance with the league’s stringent financial regulations by the stipulated deadline of December 31st.
The situation escalated as Barcelona appealed the revocation, leading to the CSD permitting a temporary reinstatement of the players in January.
On Wednesday, La Liga responded by stating that Barcelona currently lacks the financial stability necessary to successfully register the two forwards.
In a significant turn of events, the CSD has nullified an earlier agreement made between La Liga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), emphasizing that both players’ registrations are valid.
The CSD highlighted that the RFEF acknowledged it had not issued a resolution that would justify the cancellation of the licenses. Moreover, the RFEF’s previous decision to deny the licenses has been declared “null and void.”
In light of these developments, La Liga has announced its intention to appeal the CSD’s ruling. Following the announcement, La Liga released a statement indicating that it had reduced Barcelona’s wage cap due to discrepancies found in the club’s end-of-year accounting for the 2024-25 season.
To navigate around financial constraints and adhere to La Liga’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, Barcelona initiated a deal on January 3rd to sell VIP boxes at their iconic Nou Camp stadium, which is currently undergoing reconstruction.
The club aimed to generate €100 million from this initiative to ensure compliance and secure the registrations of Olmo and Victor. However, La Liga asserted that this transaction had not been properly documented in the financial accounts submitted by Barcelona in the previous week, pointing out that the deal had been validated by an alternate, unnamed auditor.
Dani Olmo, a product of Barcelona’s prestigious youth academy, left the club to play for Dinamo Zagreb and RB Leipzig before being brought back for £52 million last summer.
He has made 28 appearances for the team this season, featuring in 13 matches since the CSD’s decision. Similarly, Pau Victor, who also developed through Barcelona’s renowned La Masia academy, has played 22 times this term, with five of those appearances coming after the recent ruling.
