Barcelona plans to appeal to the Spanish government in a last-ditch attempt to re-register Dani Olmo after La Liga and the national football federation officially rejected the club’s request.
Olmo, without knowing it, has found himself in the eye of an unprecedented legal dispute. After joining Barcelona for a fee of around €60m (£50m) over the summer, the Spain international had to wait until the third week of the season before the club found space within their strict budget to register it. However, that was only a temporary measure that expired on December 31.
The regulations of the Spanish National Football Federation (RFEF) prevent any player from acquiring a second registration to play for the same club in the same season. Barcelona twice went to the city’s commercial courts to argue against La Liga’s ability to enforce these rules, but was quickly rejected both times.
A joint statement from La Liga and the RFEF officially confirmed the rejection of Barcelona’s latest request to re-register the two players on Saturday, a few hours before Hansi Flick’s team began their Copa del Rey campaign against Barbastro of the fifth division.
The president of the club, Joan Laporta, claimed to have obtained the necessary funds for the registration of Olmo (and that of the young striker Pau Víctor, who is in the same dangerous situation), but no external party could guarantee the income from anonymous investors of Middle East before the December deadline. 31. Barcelona belatedly confirmed the VIP seating deal on Friday, January 3 with La Liga’s permission, although that doesn’t change the fact that Olmo’s registration has expired.
Now, Barcelona is going ahead of La Liga and the RFEF with an appeal to the Higher Sports Council (CSD), the sports arm of the Spanish government, according to multiple reports.
The Athletic They claim that Barcelona will apply for at least a temporary permit to register Olmo and Víctor to avoid the potential damage that could be inflicted on the two players while awaiting a final decision.
Spanish publication DEPORT revealed that the hearing will take place on Tuesday, January 7 and the club remains defiantly “optimistic” about the situation. That positive stance could even see Barcelona include Olmo and Víctor in the squad that will travel to Saudi Arabia for next week’s Spanish Super Cup in the hope of finding a solution before Wednesday’s semi-final against Athletic Membership.
