On the first day of 2025, Barcelona experienced a significant setback as two players, Olmo and Victor, were officially deregistered by La Liga, rendering them ineligible to participate in La Liga matches. On January 2nd, AS reported that the entire Barcelona team was left feeling lost and confused about their future.
In the final days of 2024, Barcelona made efforts to resolve registration issues for Olmo, appealing twice but having both appeals rejected. Club president Joan Laporta traveled to Dubai with executives to discuss the sale of VIP boxes at the new Camp Nou for the next 20 years. However, Barcelona's financial situation did not meet La Liga's approval, leading to the deregistration of Olmo and Victor on January 1st.
AS pointed out that Olmo's deregistration by La Liga had a bomb-like effect, causing strong shockwaves within the Barcelona locker room.
On the first day of the New Year at 5 PM, Barcelona began training for the third round of the Copa del Rey. AS revealed that there was a perplexed atmosphere in the locker room, with the possibility of Olmo, one of the most important signings for the 2024-25 season, suddenly disappearing in the second half of the season, a situation that is difficult for both the coaching staff and players to accept.
Despite this setback, Barcelona is still working on a solution. The club has contacted the Spanish Football Federation, requesting that they issue participation licenses for Olmo and Victor. The Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España are under the jurisdiction of the federation, while La Liga is managed by the La Liga Alliance. Barcelona hopes that Olmo can play in these competitions first while they continue to work on his registration for La Liga.
AS reported that the Olmo incident has caused doubts within the Barcelona locker room, damaging trust in the club's finances, management, planning, and overall trustworthiness. Over the past two years, Barcelona has been plagued by registration issues for players such as Kounde, Inigo Martinez, and Gavi. Olmo's situation is the most severe, making Barcelona the subject of ridicule.
Olmo, who joined Barcelona last summer with a pay cut, now faces a severe challenge after less than half a year. AS revealed that Barcelona president Joan Laporta visited the locker room and delivered a brief motivational speech.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Laporta promised the team that within 48 hours (by Friday of this week), Barcelona would complete the registration process for Olmo and Victor. The club believes that they have submitted all necessary documents, but La Liga's inefficiency is beyond their control. With these documents in hand, La Liga must register Olmo and Victor.