The Dani Olmo affair, which left Spanish international and striker Pau Víctor unable to register at FC Barcelona, continues to take surreal turns. One of the latest developments took place on Friday evening, as revealed by Jijantes, a program hosted by journalist Gerard Romero.
The program featured a curious text that Barça president Joan Laporta shared on his WhatsApp status in the evening. The message, posted at 9:19 p.m. from the club’s senior official’s mobile phone, contained some kind of statement—abruptly interrupted—where the RFEF supposedly supported Barcelona in the matter concerning Dani Olmo, Pau Víctor and their recordings. The text is as follows:
“The RFEF, having listened to the arguments of the FCB, agrees with them on the fact that article 130.2 of the RFEF Regulations does not apply to the Dani Olmo/Pau Víctor affair, their departure being not due to the will of the club (which this article stipulates) but to external factors contrary to the will of the club. It is common knowledge that the club and the players wish to remain in the FCB squad for the entire season. This interpretation of the rule is in line with the obvious objective of this article, which is precisely to promote the stability of the player numbers.
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The message was not only left incomplete, but was also shared through an unusual channel to issue an official position on such a significant issue. Hours later, the post was deleted. In the meantime, the uncertainty surrounding the players’ situation remains palpable.
Neither LaLiga nor the RFEF, with whom the club maintains constant contact, took steps on Friday to allow the re-registration of Olmo and Pau Víctor. According to the Federation, Barcelona sent an informative email updating both entities on the situation that night; however, there is still no record of a formal request for license processing from the governing body.
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The main problem lies in the fact that the deadline stipulated in the regulations expired on December 31, when LaLiga canceled the registrations of both players. Now Laporta’s board aims to convince the Federation to reinterpret the rule and consider this matter a “force majeure” situation.
Separately, Barcelona announced on Friday evening that LaLiga granted them “the 1:1 financial fair play rule” after completing the review of the documentation submitted by the club on the 30th and 31st. This means that the club “n ‘is no longer under intervention’ and can operate normally on the transfer market. However, the recording of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor is still awaiting authorization.
Negotiations continue between the parties, but if no agreement is reached, Barcelona will have no choice but to turn to the Administrative Court of Sport (TAD) or even ordinary justice to request a protective registration for the players.
