'Not in accordance with law' - La Liga appeal CSD decision to allow registration of Barcelona stars Dani Olmo and Pau Victor until end of campaign

Mere hours after Spain's High Sports Committee (CSD) ruled that the Barcelona duo have been registered to play until the end of the season, La Liga will contest this matter in court. They claim that the previous decision by the Monitoring Committee, of the league and the Royal Spanish Football Federation, were appropriate and that this is outside of the CSD's jurisdiction.

Part of La Liga's statement reads: "La Liga considers that the dismissal Resolution notified today is not in accordance with the law.

“We must remember that the licenses of the two players automatically expired on December 31, 2024, at the end of the duration of the same, agreed between the Players and the Club. Therefore, in no case is a federative act of cancellation of the same required.

“The competence of the CSD in matters of licences is limited to the review of acts of issuance or refusal of licences, but not to their cancellation or extension (art. 116.3.a and 117 LD) as is the case in the present case. This, in view of the numerous judicial decisions issued and even resolutions issued by the CSD itself, which contravenes its previous doctrine, which confirm that it is a matter not susceptible to administrative review.

“In addition, the CSD’s resolution ignores the consolidated administrative and judicial doctrine according to which the nullity of full right must be manifest, because the competence is expressly entrusted to another body (or to none) and that it does not occur, when there is a need for a prior legal interpretation to determine it, nor when the applicable regulations do not specify which body the competence corresponds to. In this sense, sports legislation does not attribute competence in matters of prior visas and the issuance of licences to any body of the professional leagues and Spanish sports federations and in the resolution of the CSD there is not a single mention of which internal body of La Liga or the RFEF would be competent. therefore, there cannot be a “manifest lack of competence” from which the nullity of full law is derived."

They added: “La Liga reiterates its commitment to legality, competitive fairness and the objective application of the regulations on economic control and registration of players and therefore, La Liga, not considering the aforementioned Resolution to be in accordance with the law, will appeal it immediately."

Barcelona know that their financial troubles are not going away anytime soon and while this ruling is a welcome reprieve for them, their registration issues will come to the re-emerge again. And if La Liga get their way, the Blaugrana - who managed to get these registrations approved after agreeing a deal to lease out 475 VIP seats at Camp Nou for 30 years in exchange for €100 million on December 31, 2024 - could be in strife once again very soon.

It is uncertain whether or not La Liga will be successful in their appeal. In the meantime, Olmo and Victor can look forward to trying to get Barca minutes in the coming weeks.