Explained: Why Barcelona Is Unable to Register Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor?
Barcelona’s woes continue as the club is struggling to register Spaniards Dani Olmo and Pau Victor for the remainder of the La Liga season. Olmo and Victor’s names were removed from Barcelona’s official list of 33 players, which was approved by La Liga’s governing body led by Javier Tebas. Both the players have been part of the club’s campaign before the Winter transfer window.
When were Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor signed by Barcelona?
Dani Olmo was signed from RB Leipzig ahead of the 2024-25 season for a sum of 60 million euros. He has signed a six-year contract with Barcelona that has a release clause of 500 million Euros. Olmo has had 11 appearances and scored five goals in the league this season.
On the other hand, Pau Victor came through the ranks of Girona’s youth team and signed a first-team contract for Barcelona this season until 2029. He has featured regularly for the club this season, making 17 appearances and scoring two goals since completing a permanent move from Girona.
Also Read: Dani Olmo Biography: Net Worth, Salary, Family, Lifestyle and Career Stats
Why were Dani Olmo and Pau Victor allowed to play?
Both the players were signed at the beginning of the ongoing season and had to wait for their debut. The initial delay was because Barcelona failed to comply with La Liga’s rules on the salary cap. Barcelona were relieved after a few of their players were injured. According to Spanish top-flight’s regulations, if a player is out injured for at least four months then the club can use 80 percent of their salary to register a new player.
At the start of the season, players like Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen sustained injuries and the salaries of these players were freed up. It was in place of Christensen that Olmo was registered for the first half of the season. The departure of Ilkay Gundogan from the club and his return to Manchester City and loaning Clement Lenglet to Atletico Madrid made it easier for the registration of two players.
What has happened now?
The temporary licenses were valid till December 31, 2024, and as of January 4, Barcelona has failed to register Olmo and Victor as its players. The club has appealed to provisionally register the players but was rejected by the court stating that, “none of the conditions necessary for the adoption of the precautionary measure were met.” The situation has deteriorated further after Barcelona faced two swift legal defeats in less than 72 hours before the La Liga deadline.
Barcelona remain confident that the issue will be sorted but, for now, their absences will be a big loss to the Barcelona manager, Hansi Flick.
A Glimmer of Hopes for FC Barcelona Amid Licensing Turmoils
The recent registration by Spain’s Supreme Sports Council (CSD) has been a lifeline to the player and Barcelona during a volatile period. However, the CSD’s ruling lets Olmo rejoin the squad for the Super Cup final after being rejected by La Liga and courts before. This came at a time that he had to miss some crucial matches because of Barcelona violating the salary cap while an unfinished €100 million deal with the VIP boxes at Camp Nou.
The ruling shows that there are conflicts between regulations and players, where Barcelona said that the Monitoring Committee went against its mandate. This decision is certainly a morale boost for the club and Olmo but the final judgment is still pending which keeps the drama going.