MÁLAGA SUFFERED A SIMILAR CASE IN 2019
LaLiga and the 'Olmo case': the precedent that worries FC Barcelona
Published:2/01/2025 - 16:39h
Updated:2/01/2025 - 17:54h
The FC Barcelona board is confident in resolving the 'Olmo case' this week through the RFEF. However, a precedent from LaLiga raises uncertainty about the stance of the governing body.
The 'soap opera' over Dani Olmo's registration keeps FC Barcelona on edge after LaLiga's "no" to the documentation the club submitted regarding the sale of VIP boxes at Spotify Camp Nou. While the club is confident in completing the necessary guarantees to certify the income from this 'lever' in the coming hours, a similar precedent generates uncertainty within the club, as the final decision will always rest with the governing body.
In 2019, already under the current 'Financial Fair Play' rules, Málaga experienced a situation quite similar to Barça's with Olmo. The 'boquerón' team signed Japanese player Shinji Okasaki that summer, a star signing to fight for promotion that ultimately could not be registered due to the 'blanquiazules' salary margin issues.
LaLiga's inflexible stance, a serious problem for Barça
Málaga began the summer knowing they needed to finalize several sales to be able to sign players, but the market closed on September 2 without the team generating the promised income. Okasaki tried to sign with the minimum salary set for the category (around 80,000 euros), but LaLiga did not give the green light and the Japanese player had no choice but to rescind the contract signed weeks earlier.
Ultimately, the forward ended up signing with Huesca, while Málaga was sanctioned for the following season (2020/21), limiting their salary margin to just 2.2 million euros. Therefore, they had to face the season with a squad of only 18 players. In this regard, the precedent is not favorable to Barça's interests, as it confirms LaLiga's stance regarding authorizing licenses for clubs that do not meet 'Fair Play' requirements.
Initially, the culés are confident in resolving Olmo's license and Pau Víctor's through the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), as the governing body insists that the operation must be resolved before midnight on December 31. Not for nothing, both players were removed from Barça's squad on the official tournament website.
