Spain’s sports ministry (CSD) ruled Thursday that Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor can continue to play for Barcelona until the end of the season.
The CSD initially handed Olmo and Víctor temporary registrations in January while they assessed Barça’s appeal against LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation’s (RFEF) decision to revoke the duo’s registrations.
On Thursday, LaLiga issued a statement saying they would appeal the CSD decision.
LaLiga argue not only did Barça miss a Dec. 31 deadline to prove they were compliant with financial regulations, but that they have “never had” the capacity to register Olmo and Víctor within their league-imposed spending limit.
The CSD, however, says the players have a right to work and that a committee made up of representatives from LaLiga and the RFEF did not have the jurisdiction to make that decision and, therefore, it should be voided.
The ruling released by the CSD stresses that the decision has been reached, after listening to the arguments from all the parties involved, without taking into account LaLiga’s financial regulations.
Olmo and Víctor have subsequently had their registrations officially prolonged until June 30.
The issue has been ongoing since the turn of the year when Barça missed a Dec. 31 deadline to prove they were compliant with LaLiga’s financial regulations in order to register Olmo and Víctor for the second half of the campaign.
The players had received temporary registrations for the first half of the season via a league rule which allowed them to be registered in the place of a long-term injured player, in this case Andreas Christensen.
LaLiga confirmed on Jan. 3 that Barça’s sale of VIP seats at Spotify Camp Nou, which is currently being redeveloped, for €100 million had brought the club back within the regulations. However, a joint LaLiga-RFEF commission said that the window to prolong Olmo and Víctor’s registrations had passed.
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