FC Barcelona failed to register two players, strikers Pau Víctor and Dani Olmo (the latter being their star for this season), because it was unable to prove to the Professional Football League that it has the financial income necessary to employ them sustainably. The deadline for the club to submit the required documentation expired on December 31. Player registrations have been automatically deleted from LaLiga.
Barca had already encountered difficulties registering Olmo when they bought him from Leipzig last summer, following his outstanding performances at the European Championship. He had been their only signing for the season, registered in place of the injured Christensen, who had freed up the salary space the club needed. Since then, FC Barcelona have had four months to find a financial solution and have failed to do so. With the recovery of the Danish player, the club sought a court injunction to maintain Olmo’s registration, but the court rejected the request last week.
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The Federation and LaLiga Reject Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor: Barcelona now turns to the Government
LaLiga’s caution is justified. The failure of the club’s content arm to go public in June, on which Barcelona had based much of its financial expectations, led the Javier Tebas-led organization to rely only on concrete evidence. Despite the club’s efforts, such as renewing the contract with Nike, the financial requirements to sign Olmo remain unmet. Club president Joan Laporta was desperate for a solution yesterday.
-If Olmo ultimately cannot be registered, Barça loses a key player for its sporting project (as well as a promising young talent like Víctor), and its leaders will have to respond to fans who will immediately go from astonishment to anger. Additionally, in Olmo’s case, they will still have to pay his transfer and full salary, totaling around €120 million. The players are also seriously affected by this fiasco: they have to look for new teams to play overnight.
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A Diminishing Barcelona Executive Team
The reputational damage is incalculable, and it remains doubtful whether Barcelona can attract any talent to the team until its financial situation is clarified. In the midst of celebrating their 125th anniversary, this embarrassment is the consequence of mismanaged finances that jeopardize their current prestige and future sporting results. Barça members and fans deserve that the club gets its accounts straight in the long term, and that those responsible for this situation take responsibility.
