On Monday, Spain’s La Liga lodged an appeal and sought urgent precautionary measures to challenge a ruling by the Spanish Sports Council (CSD) that permitted Barcelona players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor to remain eligible to play through the season’s end. In a statement, La Liga demanded “an urgent judicial response” to uphold sporting integrity, arguing that the CSD’s decision “breaches” the league’s economic control regulations.
The CSD, tasked with resolving the standoff between Barcelona and La Liga, sided with the Catalan club in a ruling issued on April 3. It declared the cancellation of the players’ registrations “null and void,” thereby allowing midfielder Dani Olmo—signed from RB Leipzig last summer—and young forward Pau Victor to continue playing. La Liga swiftly denounced the decision as “unlawful.”
The league contends that the players’ licences, initially registered temporarily at the season’s start due to defender Andreas Christensen’s injury, “automatically lapsed” on December 31. At that point, Barcelona was scrambling to secure new revenue streams to meet financial fair play requirements. The club believed it had succeeded in January by finalizing a deal to sell VIP boxes at the still-under-construction Camp Nou to Middle Eastern investors for an estimated €100 million ($109 million) over 20 years. However, La Liga disputes this, stating, “No revenue from the VIP box deal has been reflected in the profit and loss statements, contrary to the club’s and its auditor’s certifications at the time of the transaction.”
In January, the CSD had granted Olmo and Victor temporary clearance to resume playing for Barcelona while awaiting a definitive ruling. The club has grappled with financial woes for years, resorting in 2022 to selling off assets and future TV rights revenue to fund signings like Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. Without significant player sales, Barcelona’s ability to spend in the upcoming summer transfer window could be severely hampered if La Liga’s revised assessment of their finances holds firm.
