Barcelona’s Controversial Player Registration Sparks Outrage in Spanish Football

Barcelona’s Controversial Player Registration Sparks Outrage in Spanish Football

In the world of Spanish football, drama is never far away, and the latest episode involves none other than the iconic club, Barcelona. The Catalan giants are currently under fire from Athletic Club following a contentious decision by Spain’s top sports court. The court granted temporary playing registrations to Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor, despite previous denials from both LaLiga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

The crux of the issue lies in Barcelona’s failure to meet a crucial deadline. The club missed the December 31 cut-off to demonstrate compliance with the league’s financial fair play rules, leading to the initial denial of player registrations. However, Barça’s successful appeal to Spain’s Sports Council (CSD) has temporarily overturned this decision, allowing Olmo and Victor to play while a final ruling is awaited.

Before the 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa semifinal held in Jeddah, Athletic Club president Jon Uriarte did not hold back his criticism, labeling the decision as “grotesque.” Uriarte’s comments reflect a broader frustration with what he perceives as a politically motivated decision.

“It is a provisional measure taken by a political body,” Uriarte stated. “Now it is LaLiga and the [Spanish Football] Federation that will have to defend the decision they took.”

Uriarte’s concerns extend beyond this specific incident, as he highlighted the broader challenges faced by clubs. “We, clubs, are asked to make an effort to grow, to make our competitions bigger on the one hand, and on the other hand to make efforts to come here [to Saudi Arabia], to a country far from our fans, to play these [Supercopa] games but then we experience situations of this type that are grotesque,” he added. “A situation like that cannot happen because it is very bad for football.”

Interestingly, Athletic is the only club in Spain’s top two divisions to have publicly reacted to the CSD’s decision regarding Olmo and Victor. Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, was quick to defend the club’s actions in response to Uriarte’s comments.

“Every club has their own issues and their own problems and should focus on themselves,” Deco remarked. “We’re doing things well at Barça, trying to do things in the best way possible. Everything else is in the hands of the governing bodies or the courts. And if they have given [the players registrations] for the moment, there is a reason for that.”

Adding to the chorus of voices, Athletic forward Iñaki Williams expressed his concerns about the potential impact on Spanish football’s reputation. “In the same vein as all football fans, I’m surprised. It seems that the rules are not the same for everyone, but we are not the ones who have to decide,” Williams told reporters.

He continued, “If those who decide have decided this, there must be a reason. It never ceases to surprise us, the image of Spanish football may be a little tarnished because there is a lot of division because many things are not understood. We have to close this chapter for the good of Spanish football. I am happy for Dani Olmo and Pau Victor because I think it is a very difficult situation for them and all they want is to play football. As a football professional, I’m happy for both of them.”

LaLiga president Javier Tebas also weighed in on the matter, expressing surprise at the CSD decision. He took the opportunity to question the “complicit silence” from Real Madrid TV, which has been a vocal critic of some of LaLiga’s actions and Tebas’s comments.

“CSD president [Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes] seems to hear a single voice, which does not represent Spanish professional football,” Tebas said on social media. “And that voice, curiously, maintains a complicit silence in this case. Where is Real Madrid TV now?”

As the saga unfolds, Olmo, a €60 million ($62m) summer signing from RB Leipzig, and Víctor, who joined in August on a permanent transfer from Girona, will be available to play in Sunday’s Spanish Supercopa final after missing Wednesday’s game.

• Barcelona’s appeal to the CSD has temporarily allowed Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor to play.
• Athletic Club president Jon Uriarte criticized the decision as “grotesque.”
• LaLiga president Javier Tebas questioned the silence of Real Madrid TV on the issue.