Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have been granted provisional player registration by the Spanish government despite repeated rejections by the Spanish FA and La Liga in recent weeks.
Spanish Council for Sports, Consejo Superior de Deportes [CSD]made the decision on Wednesday to place the two players on hold pending a final decision in the case.
La Liga canceled the registration of Olmo and Victor on December 31 after Barcelona missed a deadline to prove they were in compliance with the league’s financial fair play rules.
The club’s attempts to re-register the players were rejected by the Spanish FA (RFEF) and La Liga, resulting in the Catalan club submitting a 52-page appeal and more than 60 supporting documents to the CSD, the highest sports council within Spain. government.
Olmo had a clause in his contract that would have allowed him to leave on a free transfer if he was not registered, but both he and Victor remained committed to staying at the club.
🚨🚨 OFFICIAL: The CSD court granted Barcelona precautionary measures for Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.
Both players will be available for the Super Cup starting tonight. ✅ pic.twitter.com/MXzhPZsFiP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 8, 2025
La Liga rules dictate that a player cannot be registered twice in the same season, however, Wednesday’s decision means the pair can – at least for now – feature again for Barcelona in all competitions this term.
In a statement, the CSD granted Barcelona “an emergency precautionary measure requested by FC Barcelona and the players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.
“This measure, which is temporary until the final resolution of the appeal of the club and the aforementioned players, suspends the RFEF-LaLiga Coordination Agreement Supervisory Board Agreement dated January 4, 2025 and cancels the sports licenses. of the aforementioned players.”
The news comes shortly before Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Club, but no players have been named in the squad for tonight’s game.
Manager Hansi Flick said before the game: “I’m really happy with it [the ruling]. I think the whole team, Dani and Pau of course, are more than happy. And everyone in the club.
“It’s the right decision.”
Hansi Flick comments on the CSD’s decision to approve precautionary measures for the registrations of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor. pic.twitter.com/aHwzaZCC8A
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 8, 2025
Barcelona sporting director Deco echoed Flick’s sentiment: “I’m happy for the players. We went through very difficult days, and the players want to play.
“But we’re very pleased with the outcome and that CSD proved us right, which is the important thing.”
However, Jon Uriarte, president of Barcelona’s semi-final opponents Athletic Club, said of the outcome that “we are seeing things that are ridiculous”, adding that “cases like this do Spanish football no favours.”
