Barcelona request to keep playing Dani Olmo and Pau Victor is rejected
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Dani Olmo's future at Barcelona is uncertain as he is unable to be registered for the second half of the season.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MADRID – Barcelona’s Dani Olmo and Pau Victor will be unable to play for the La Liga side in the second half of the season, Spanish football authorities said on Jan 4 after rejecting the club’s latest attempt to extend their registrations.
Midfielder Olmo, who helped Spain to European Championship glory in 2024, has been an integral part of Barcelona’s team this campaign, while forward Victor has been largely restricted to substitute appearances.
Barca are third in La Liga, five points behind leaders Real Madrid.
They signed Olmo from RB Leipzig on a six-year deal in August for around €55 million (S$77.7 million) and Victor in July, but registered them for only the first half of the season due to La Liga’s wage-cap considerations.
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) and La Liga said in a joint statement they had rejected a request to register them both for the second half.
“The monitoring committee agrees not to grant the prior approval or the definitive licence requested by FC Barcelona for the players Daniel Olmo Carvajal and Pau Victor Delgado,” the RFEF said.
Two courts had previously rejected the club’s requests.
La Liga had previously welcomed the legal rulings, saying additional spending was allowed so long-term injuries do not weaken a team, but the rule should not be exploited to allow the registration of players whose salaries exceed the limit.
The club had managed to register Olmo after long-term injuries kept first-team players out of the squad for months, allowing Barca to allocate a portion of wages to register the player who was joint-top scorer at Euro 2024.
The Spanish media reported that Barcelona plan to file a complaint to the Spanish government via the Administrative Sports Court in a last-ditch attempt to allow the pair to play.
Olmo reportedly has a clause in his contract which allows him to leave for free if he remains unregistered.
There was no immediate comment from the club.
The duo were not named in the squad for their Copa del Rey match against fourth-tier side Barbastro on Jan 4.
“Everyone wants Dani Olmo and Pau Victor back,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said following his team’s 4-0 away win.
“We played focused, we played well. I haven’t seen the team suffer because of this situation... We have to be professional and accept (it).”
Both players’ profiles have been removed from the La Liga website.
It is not the first time Barca have failed to register a key player. The Catalan side let Lionel Messi leave in 2021 even though the Argentinian forward wanted to extend his stay at the club where he started his career. REUTERS, AFP
