9 January 2025
The Spanish Sports Council on Wednesday granted Barcelona a temporary licence allowing them to field Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, pending a final ruling in the case the club filed against La Liga and the local football federation, who did not allow them to renew their licences. The Spanish Sports Council announced on Wednesday that Barcelona players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have been allowed to play with the Catalan club on a temporary basis.
Cash-strapped Barcelona are struggling to register the international playmaker for the second half of the season after his registration expires at the end of 2024, with the club's attempts rejected twice by the court.
The Spanish Sports Council said in a statement: "This measure, which is provisional until the final decision is made on the appeal submitted by the club and the two players mentioned above, suspends (the decision of the Spanish League and the Spanish Football Federation) and the cancellation of the sports licenses of the players mentioned above."
It added: "It also maintains the validity of the aforementioned licenses until the final decision is made on this appeal."
The duo will be able to participate the Spanish Super Cup final against either Mallorca or Real Madrid.
Olmo and Victor were absent from Hansi Flick's squad for the match against Barbastro in the round of 32 of the Spanish Cup on Saturday, after Barcelona filed their appeal on Tuesday.
The two players were registered at the start of the season on a temporary basis, with Barcelona exploiting a financial loophole after Danish defender Andreas Christensen was injured.
Barcelona and the Financial Fair Play dilemma
After losing two rulings to obtain new licenses for the duo last week, the club's management sold VIP boxes at its new stadium, the Camp Nou, which is still under construction, for 100 million euros ($104 million) in order to comply with the Spanish league's Financial Fair Play regulations. However, the deal was completed and the paperwork was sent three days after the deadline renewed by the league.
La Liga later confirmed that Barcelona had met the financial requirements, but that Olmo and Victor's licenses had expired, noting that the rules prevent players "from obtaining another license with the same club they are linked to" over the course of a single season.
Spanish media reported that Barcelona considers this rule to be outdated, and that it now has the necessary funds while the transfer window is still open, and should therefore be allowed to register the duo.
