Barcelona have avoided losing two of their players from selection after being accused of incorrectly filing their financial figures earlier this year.
Debate has rumbled on in Spain in recent days amid the club’s financial struggles, with Barcelona announcing in January that they had sold 475 VIP seats in the rebuilt Nou Camp to a number of Middle East investors.
The deals that stretch across 30 years were said to have added £84m to the club’s finances, allowing them to balance their books.
It also enabled Barcelona to re-register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor for the second half of the season after there was genuine concern that the duo would have to be left out of Hansi Flick’s squad.
A temporary accountant for Barcelona filed the paperwork to confirm the deal on December 31, but LaLiga have since alleged that the figures sent through by the club’s new full-time accountancy firm, Crowe Spain, for this season show the £84m was not included.
Releasing a statement on Wednesday, LaLiga wrote: ‘On January 3 2025, a certificate issued by the club’s new auditor was provided, recognising that the transaction was correctly recorded as income in the club’s Profit and Loss account for the current season.
Barcelona may not be able to field Dani Olmo (right) for the rest of the season
Pau Victor (centre) is also at risk of being banned from playing again this season
LaLiga – fronted by president Javier Tebas (pictured) – have accused Barca of not including the £84m that helped them re-register Olmo and Victor in their financial accounts for this season
‘This documentation was necessary and essential to validate the accounting.
‘Without these certificates, it would not have been possible for Barcelona to register players with LaLiga.
‘Subsequently, in its Interim Financial Statements referring to the first half of the current season, no amount of the aforementioned corporate operation is finally recorded in the Profit and Loss account.
‘That is contrary to what had been certified by the Club and the auditor at the time of the execution of said operation.’
LaLiga have told Barcelona that the £84m has been knocked off their spending limits, with Olmo and Victor therefore deemed to be ‘unregistered’.
Spain’s Sports Council – a branch of the country’s government – however, has found in favour of Barcelona, meaning Olmo and Victor are eligible to play and will remain a part of the club’s campaign for a historic Treble.
They have a three-point advantage over Real Madrid in LaLiga and will face their arch-rivals in the Copa del Rey final later this month.
Barcelona are also into the Champions League quarter-finals where they will take on Borussia Dortmund.
Olmo only joined Barcelona last summer, and has scored eight goals in his maiden campaign
Hansi Flick now faces a nervous wait to see whether he can call upon Olmo and Victor for the rest of the season
Olmo only joined Barcelona for £50m from RB Leipzig last summer, but was linked with a move to the Premier League in January when it was unclear whether Barcelona would be able to re-register him.
They were eventually given the green light, but this ruling could be overturned in light of the new information put forward by LaLiga.
Olmo has scored eight goals in 28 appearances across all competitions this season.
Victor, 23, has largely been restricted to limited minutes off the bench this term, and has scored twice in 22 outings.
