Barcelona have temporarily won the battle to sign Dani Olmo and Pau Victor to play in the second half of the season after an appeal to Spain's national sports council (CSD).
Barcelona had only been able to comply with La Liga's wage regulations during the first half of the season due to a suitable gap stemming from Andreas Christensen's injury absence.
But it was not a permanent solution and records for Olmo and Victor expired on December 31st 2024. Barcelona were reported to have raised €100m (£83m) by selling VIP boxes at the renovated, still-being-worked-out Camp Nou, which allowed them to return to the 1:1 spending rules next season. But the documents were submitted too late for the condition of Olmos and Victor.
Players cannot be registered twice by the same club during a single season. So when the pair were deregistered, the situation looked particularly bleak, especially after La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) officially rejected Barcelona's attempts to force him.
A legal challenge in a local court had already failed, but Barcelona took the matter to the national sports council and have now been granted a provisional license to register Olmo and Victor until the appeal is given a final decision in due course.
A CSD statement explained: “This measure, which is provisional until the final resolution of the complaint filed by the club and the aforementioned players, suspends (the decision of La Liga and the RFEF) and the cancellation of the sports licenses of the aforementioned players .
“It also maintains the validity of said licenses until this appeal is finally resolved.”
It's not an outright win for the club, but it's still a win in the circumstances. The headlines in recent weeks have focused mainly on Olmo, signed for €60m last summer, and the fact that he would have been within his rights to terminate his contract, to be paid its full value. and to continue as a free agent. . Fortunately for Barcelona, his loyalty and patience with the club to set things right remained steadfast.