La Liga has revealed that FC Barcelona currently lacks the financial capacity to register players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, and that the situation remains unresolved ahead of a ruling by Spain’s sports council (CSD) regarding their eligibility.
Earlier in the year, Barcelona announced a deal to sell VIP boxes at their Camp Nou stadium, which is under reconstruction, for an estimated 100 million euros ($108 million). This deal was expected to give the club the financial flexibility to register new players under financial fair play regulations.
However, La Liga clarified that while the deal was initially recorded by an unnamed auditor between December 31 and January 3, the club’s current auditor has removed it from their interim financial statements for the 2024-25 season. La Liga emphasized that the amounts from the VIP box deal were not ultimately included in the club’s profit and loss accounts, contrary to what had been previously certified by both the club and the original auditor.
In a statement, La Liga explained that as of December 31, 2024, and January 3, 2025, and continuing to this day, Barcelona does not have the financial capacity required to register Olmo and Pau Victor under the current fair play rules.
Barcelona has declined to comment on the matter when approached by AFP.
Temporary Approval for Olmo and Victor
On January 8, the CSD gave Barcelona precautionary permission to field both Olmo and Victor, despite the club missing the registration deadline in December when their temporary licenses expired. This allowed Barcelona to select both players for matches while awaiting a definitive decision from the CSD regarding the ongoing dispute between the club, La Liga, and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), which had blocked Barcelona from renewing their registrations.
A final ruling from the CSD is expected on or before April 7.
Both Olmo, who is currently injured, and Pau Victor were initially registered on a short-term basis after Barcelona exploited a financial loophole created by an injury to defender Andreas Christensen. Since their provisional registrations, Olmo has made 13 appearances, scoring two goals and providing four assists, while Victor has made five substitute appearances.
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