 "Explained: Why Barcelona failed to register Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor for the second half of La Liga")
Spanish football giant FC Barcelona are facing another administrative setback as La Liga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have jointly decided to reject the registrations of their players Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor for the second half of the 2024-25 season. Both Olmo and Victor joined Barcelona in the summer and were initially only registered until the end of December.
Olmo, 26, joined Barcelona from RB Leipzig in August on a six-year deal for around 55 million euros ($56.7 million) and Victor in July. Olmo has played in 11 matches in La Liga so far in the ongoing season, scoring five goals, while the 23-year-old Victor has been largely restricted to substitute appearances. Barca are currently third in La Liga, five points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Why Barcelona failed to register Dani Olmo?
They were only registered for the first half of the season due to La Liga wage cap considerations and they are set to miss the second half of the season as La Liga said Barcelona have failed to meet Financial Fair Play rules.
The league said Barcelona “did not present any alternative” on adhering to the regulations, which was required for the club to “register any player beginning on Jan. 2.”
Barcelona needed to have another financial lever approved by the league in order to register Olmo after a judge ruled against the club on Monday in the second consecutive court setback ahead of the end-of-year deadline.
Without the court’s backing or the league’s approval, Olmo’s contract can’t be registered beyond the end of 2024.
Barcelona had reportedly reached a deal to sell VIP seats at the renovated Camp Nou stadium for 100 million euros ($104 million). That would reportedly be enough for the club to add Olmo and forward Pau Víctor to the squad.
Spanish media said Barcelona were still hopeful of reaching a deal with the league to have Olmo registered even if it misses the end-of-year deadline.
Each Spanish league club has a salary cap which is calculated based on a series of factors, including revenues, costs and debts. It is proportional to roughly 70% of a club’s revenues.
Barcelona has endured difficulties registering some players recently because of their financial struggles. They have resorted to a series of financial levers in recent years, including the sale of future television rights. The club’s financial struggles led to the departure of Lionel Messi in 2021.
With agency inputs
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