Barcelona have temporarily won the battle to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor to play in the second half of the season following an appeal to Spain’s national sports council (CSD).
Barcelona had only been able to comply with La Liga’s salary regulations during the first half of the campaign due to a convenient loophole stemming from Andreas Christensen’s injury absence.
But it wasn’t a permanent solution and the registrations for Olmo and Victor expired on 31 December 2024. Barcelona were reported to have raised €100m (£83m) by selling off VIP boxes in the refurbished Camp Nou, still being worked on, which allowed them to return to 1:1 spending rules next season. But the paperwork was filed too late for Olmo’s and Victor’s plight.
Players cannot be registered twice by the same club during a single season. So when the pair became un-registered, the situation looked particularly bleak, especially after La Liga and Spain’s football federation (RFEF) formally rejected Barcelona’s attempts to force it through.
One legal challenge in a local court had already failed, but Barcelona took the case to the national sports council and have now been granted a temporary license to register Olmo and Victor until the appeal is given a final verdict in due course.
A CSD statement explained: “This measure, which is provisional until the appeal filed by the club and the aforementioned players is finally resolved, suspends [La Liga and RFEF’s decision], and the cancellation of the sports licenses of the aforementioned players.
“It also maintains the validity of said licences until this appeal is finally resolved.”
It is not a full win for the club, but it is still a win in the circumstances. The headlines in the past weeks had mainly focused on Olmo, signed for €60m last summer, and the fact that he would have been within his rights to terminate his contract, be paid the full value of it, and move on as a free agent. Fortunately for Barcelona, his loyalty and patience with the club to fix things held firm.