Barcelona FINALLY register £50m star Dani Olmo following controversial ruling which has left rivals claiming the decision questions ‘the rules of the game’

Barcelona have finally received a green light to register Dani Olmo for the upcoming season following a controversial injunction. 

Spain international Olmo joined the Blaugrana for £50million from RB Leipzig in the summer, but the Catalan giants faced a battle to re-register the player for the remainder of the season. 

LaLiga is governed by stringent financial laws that have seen Barcelona in particular struggle to register players without compromise in recent seasons as they continue to battle financial crisis. 

As such, Barca were prevented from extending the registration for Olmo and team-mate Pau Victor as they had exceeded their allotted salary cap, with the added jeopardy of Olmo being able to leave for free if unregistered.

Now, though, Barcelona have been granted a precautionary measure by the Higher Sports Council (CSD) which has allowed them to temporarily register both Olmo, a target for several Premier League sides, and Pau Victor.

‘Good news for FC Barcelona. Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have been registered for La Liga, and are therefore available for selection by coach Hansi Flick, including for Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup Final at 8pm CET,’ a statement from Barcelona read. 

Olmo’s re-registration was denied due to LaLiga’s ongoing financial constraints on Barcelona

Barcelona have worked tirelessly to secure Olmo’s registration and have a brief respite

‘On Wednesday, the Higher Sports Council (CSD) announced an injunction giving the green light for the two players to play.’

Both players will be permitted to play in LaLiga again after facing several weeks of uncertainty.

Olmo and Victor have been included in Barcelona’s Super Cup squad despite being ineligible to play, but the pair were not named in the starting line-up or among the substitutes for their semi-final with Athletic Club.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it has proven a controversial call to permit Barca to register the two stars, with staunch rivals Atletico Madrid quick to hit out at the decision, questioning whether it subverts their aim for ‘fair competition’.

‘Atletico de Madrid wishes to express its deep concern about the situation in Spanish football following the resolution adopted this Wednesday by the Higher Sports Council. We believe that this decision puts the current system in jeopardy, questioning the rules of the game,’ said Los Colchoneros. 

‘The Sports Law itself includes and protects the economic control of LaLiga, but with this resolution it is put at risk. The economic control of LaLiga has been the main tool that has managed to turn our football into a solvent sector, a process admired internationally.

‘Our club, like all LaLiga members until this resolution, has been complying with the rules of economic control and will continue to do so. In fact, in order to compete at the level we have been doing in recent years, we have decided to carry out various capital increases, despite the enormous effort that this entails.

‘This government intervention creates a very dangerous precedent, as it opens the door to breaking the rules and making the same serious mistakes of the past. Atletico de Madrid remains committed to rigour and responsible management. Without clear and equal rules for all, fair competition is not possible.’

Atletico Madrid were quick to criticise the decision and suggested it questions ‘the rules of the game’

The decision eases the pressure on Joan Laporta, the president of the Catalan giants

Last week, Barcelona revealed their plans to file a complaint after both LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) rejected their latest attempt to re-register the duo, and they subsequently took the matter to court. 

The CSD said that not adopting the precautionary measure would ’cause serious economic and sporting harm to the club and, above all, to the players’, as well as ‘harming the interests of the Spanish national team’ and LaLiga.

The CSD’s verdict also does not mean that Olmo and Victor will be eligible for the rest of the season. Instead, the ruling is a recognition that Barcelona’s appeal, which was lodged in the form of a 52-page document, has a sound legal basis.

Now, the body has a period of up to three months to study the case before making a final opinion. Olmo and Victor will be able to play as normal in the meantime. 

The saga of Olmo’s re-registration may however have repercussions moving forward, though. 

On Tuesday, Barcelona forward Raphinha warned that the issues surrounding Olmo’s could put future transfer targets off from joining.

‘I can’t say the opposite because I would lie otherwise,’ Raphinha added.