LaLiga has voided Barcelona’s Financial Fair Play operation that allowed the registration of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.
Barca, who have faced financial difficulties, made the headlines in January when they found themselves scrambling to re-register the two summer arrivals for the second half of the season.
The Spanish giants were initially only able to register the duo for the first half of the 2024/25 campaign amid LaLiga rules.
Unable to meet the league’s wage cap regulations, their request to have both players involved for the rest of the season was then rejected in January.
However, Barcelona ultimately struck up a temporary agreement for their inclusion with the Spanish national sports council (CSD).
Olmo and Victor’s registration was permitted after the club announced a cash injection of €100million through the sale of VIP seats at their Camp Nou stadium, which is being redeveloped.
But the credibility of this has now been brought into disrepute, with the Spanish league questioning the deal.
A newly-published LaLiga statement revealed the agreement has not been included in the club’s latest audited accounts submitted last week for the 2024/25 season.
This means Barca are once again exceeding FFP regulations, placing the registration of Olmo and Victor in jeopardy.
The communication read: “According to the referenced Interim Financial Statements, and in compliance with the NEP, FC Barcelona did not, as of December 31, 2024, or January 3, 2025, nor does it currently, have any positive balance or registration capacity, publicly known as ‘Fair Play’, to register the players Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor.”
The league also revealed they had informed the Catalan outfit of a reduction to their annual spending limit as a result.
In February, this figure was reported to have risen to more than €463m by LaLiga.
GettyWinger Pau Victor has featured five times off the bench since the CSD initially allowed his registration to be extended in January[/caption]
The statement also confirmed the Spanish top-flight would be reporting the unnamed auditor used to verify the sale of Camp Nou seats to Spain’s Institute of Accounting and Auditing of Accounts (ICAC).
A ruling on the legitimacy of Olmo and Victor’s emergency registration is due to arrive before April 7.
Until then, the pair are available for selection, but it remains to be seen beyond that whether their licenses to play will be revoked for the rest of the season.
And Barca will certainly be keen to have both players at their disposal as the campaign reaches a crucial stage.
The European giants are fighting on three fronts, sitting top of the LaLiga table, as well as being into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Since his €60million [£50.3million] summer arrival from RB Leipzig, Spain star Olmo has made 28 appearances in all competitions, scoring eight times.
AFPBarcelona hold a three-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga[/caption]
Victor on the other hand has featured 22 times after his initial loan move from Girona was made permanent last July, with two goals during this time.
