La Liga has stated that Barcelona currently lacks the financial capacity to register players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, ahead of a decision by Spain’s sports council (CSD) regarding their eligibility to play.
In January, Barcelona announced a deal to sell VIP boxes at their Camp Nou stadium, which is under renovation, for a reported 100 million euros ($108 million). The deal was expected to provide the club with the financial fair play space necessary to register the new players.
However, La Liga revealed that an unnamed auditor initially recorded the deal between December 31 and January 3, but Barcelona’s current auditor no longer includes it in their financial statements for the first half of the 2024-25 season.
La Liga confirmed that the club still does not have the necessary financial capacity to register Olmo and Victor. “Barcelona… did not have on December 31, 2024, or on January 3, 2025, nor has it had since that date, nor does it currently have, the financial fair play capacity to register the players,” La Liga’s statement read. The league also announced it had reported the auditor used by Barcelona during that period to the Accounting and Auditing Institute.
Barcelona declined to comment on the issue when contacted by AFP.
On January 8, the CSD granted Barcelona temporary permission to use Olmo and Victor after the club missed the deadline to register them before the end of December, when their temporary licenses expired. The CSD ruled that Barcelona could select the players until a definitive decision is made in the club’s case against La Liga and the Spanish football federation (RFEF). The ruling is expected by or before April 7.
The players were initially registered on a short-term basis after Barcelona utilized a financial loophole created by an injury to defender Andreas Christensen.
Olmo, who is currently injured, has played 13 times since then, scoring two goals and providing four assists, while Victor has made five substitute appearances.
