Spanish football club FC Barcelona faced another setback on Monday, as its appeal to provisionally register midfielder Dani Olmo for the rest of the season was denied, just one day before the registration deadline, according to media reports.
The club signed Olmo in August for approximately €55 million, but due to its inability to meet LaLiga’s wage cap, the offensive midfielder was only registered for the first half of the season. The four-month registration period expires today at the end of December.
Barcelona initially managed to register Olmo after long-term injuries sidelined several first-team players, enabling the club to reallocate part of its salaries to register the 26-year-old, along with forward Pau Victor.
On Friday, Commercial Court No. 10 in Barcelona denied the club’s request to provisionally register Olmo, and the Court of First Instance No. 47 upheld that ruling on Monday.
According to LaLiga, the court rejected the precautionary registration of Olmo, citing the failure to meet the necessary prerequisites for such a measure. LaLiga also defended the authority of its Delegate Commission to enforce its budgeting rules, noting that its regulations have never been contested by any club, including Barcelona.
The Financial Fair Play Committee, the Social Appeals Committee, and the UEFA Second Instance Licensing Committee of the Spanish Football Federation initially decided to deny Olmo’s registration and subsequently upheld the decision in three appeals.
Faced with these rejections, Barcelona turned to the judicial system but is now racing against the clock to find an alternative solution.
Spanish media reported that the club is considering the sale of VIP boxes at Camp Nou, which could generate over €100 million. However, this plan would still require LaLiga’s approval.