La Liga reiterated on Wednesday that Barcelona does not have the financial leeway to register players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, maintaining that the club has yet to meet the required fair play criteria.
This announcement comes ahead of an anticipated ruling by Spain’s sports council regarding the duo’s eligibility.
Earlier in 2025, Barcelona announced a deal worth an estimated €100 million ($108 million) involving the sale of VIP boxes at Camp Nou, which is currently under reconstruction.
The club asserted that this transaction provided them with the necessary financial room to secure new player registrations.
However, La Liga has since questioned the legitimacy of the deal, stating that Barcelona’s former auditor, who recorded the transaction between December 31 and January 3, is no longer reflected in the club’s interim financial reports for the first half of the 2024-25 season.
“La Liga said they were reporting the auditor Barcelona used between December 31 and January 3 to the Accounting and Auditing Institute.”
According to La Liga’s statement, the VIP box deal was not ultimately recognized in the profit and loss accounts, despite being previously certified by the club and its auditor.
“No amount from the (VIP box deal) is ultimately recorded in the profit and loss accounts, contrary to what had been certified by the club and the auditor at the time of said transaction,” the league asserted.
Further reinforcing their stance, La Liga stated, “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) for the registration of the players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.”
When approached for comment by AFP, Barcelona declined to respond.
The issue dates back to January 8, when the CSD granted Barcelona temporary permission to use Olmo and Victor.
This decision was made after La Liga ruled that the club had failed to meet the deadline for registering the players following the expiration of their provisional licences at the end of December.
Currently, the CSD’s final verdict on Barcelona’s case against La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation is expected by April 7. Until then, the players remain eligible for selection.
Olmo and Victor were initially registered on a temporary basis after Barcelona utilized a financial loophole following an injury to Andreas Christensen. Since then, Olmo, who is currently sidelined, has made 13 appearances, contributing two goals and four assists, while Victor has featured five times as a substitute.
