La Liga has stated that Barcelona never had the financial capacity to officially register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, despite claims of securing funds through a VIP box sale at Camp Nou.
In January, Barcelona announced they had raised €100 million ($108 million) by selling VIP boxes at their stadium, which is currently under renovation. The club argued that this revenue allowed them to register Olmo and Victor under La Liga’s financial fair play rules.
However, La Liga now says the funds were not properly recorded in the club’s financial statements. The league revealed that an auditor initially included the transaction but was later replaced by a different auditor who excluded it from the latest financial reports.
“No amount from the VIP box deal is ultimately recorded in the profit and loss accounts, contrary to what had been certified by the club and the auditor at the time of the transaction,” La Liga said in a statement. The league has also reported the previous auditor to Spain’s Accounting and Auditing Institute.
La Liga maintains that Barcelona did not have the financial room to register Olmo and Victor at the end of 2024, nor do they have it now. The club has not commented on the issue.
On January 8, Spain’s sports council (CSD) temporarily allowed Barcelona to field the players while it reviewed the case. A final ruling is expected by April 7.
Both players were initially signed last summer and registered under a temporary license due to an injury to defender Andreas Christensen. Since then, Olmo, who is currently injured, has played 13 games, scoring twice and assisting four times. Victor has made five substitute appearances.
