LaLiga president Javier Tebas is continuing his fight to have Barcelona forward Dani Olmo's registration revoked for the second half of the season, despite the player already featuring in several matches since a controversial reinstatement.
The dispute began when both LaLiga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) unregistered Olmo on January 1st after Barcelona failed to meet the December 31st deadline to demonstrate compliance with the league's financial fair play regulations. However, the situation took an unexpected turn when Spain's sports ministry (CSD) stepped in to temporarily reinstate both Olmo and forward Pau Víctor's registrations while analyzing Barcelona's appeal.
The CSD's intervention has sparked significant controversy within Spanish football, with several prominent clubs including Atlético Madrid, Espanyol, and Valencia publicly expressing their disapproval through official statements. Tebas has voiced his support for these protests, stating, "They are right. If we, as LaLiga, are taking the action we are taking, it's because we feel that the decision that has been made is not in accordance with the regulations."
Since his reinstatement, Olmo, who joined Barcelona from RB Leipzig for €60 million last summer, has participated in three matches - the Supercopa victory against Real Madrid, a Copa del Rey win over Real Betis, and a LaLiga draw with Getafe. Meanwhile, Víctor, signed permanently from Girona, has seen limited action with just 39 minutes of playing time across two appearances.
The complex situation stems from Barcelona's initial use of a temporary registration rule, which allows clubs to allocate up to 80% of an injured player's salary (in this case, Andreas Christensen) to replacements. While LaLiga eventually acknowledged Barcelona's compliance with certain FFP requirements on January 3rd, they maintain, along with the RFEF, that players cannot be re-registered with a club twice in the same season once their registration has been cancelled.
Barcelona has challenged this interpretation, submitting a comprehensive 52-page appeal to the CSD. While the sports ministry's temporary reinstatement suggests Barcelona may have a valid case, a final ruling could take up to three months. Importantly, Tebas has clarified that results from matches featuring Olmo and Víctor cannot be challenged, stating, "Per the regulations, when a player is registered and has a licence, as Dani Olmo does at the moment, there is no room to challenge the result of a match he's involved in, even if we are later proven to be right."
