League Authorities Remove Two FC Barcelona Players from Official Team Roster
League Authorities Remove Two FC Barcelona Players from Official Team Roster
The Spanish La Liga has taken away two FC Barcelona players from their team list on the primary league's website.
PLAYER1 and PLAYER2 were the only two new signings for Barcelona manager Hansi Flick before the current season, with PLAYER1 being acquired from Girona for around $2.6 million (€2.5 million) and PLAYER2 from RB Leipzig for approximately $62.5 million (€60 million).
Initially cleared to play, PLAYER2 had to wait until the third matchday to debut for his childhood club, which he left as a teenager to pursue a professional career in Croatia.
Barcelona was able to register both players due to a rare opportunity that emerged from long-term injuries suffered by defenders Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo. However, this was only a short-term resolution, with December 31 serving as the new cutoff date for adding Spanish players to the squad for the rest of the ongoing season.
Despite attempting to secure clearance from a Barcelona court, the judge refused to grant a provisional order. Subsequently, La Liga published a statement on New Year's Eve, announcing that Barcelona had failed to submit a feasible plan compliant with the league's financial regulations that would enable the registration of any player from January 2.
SPORT reported that Barcelona could face financial losses of up to $273 million (€263 million) if PLAYER2 decides to depart as a free agent. In response, La Liga has taken an additional step by eliminating PLAYER2 and PLAYER1 from Barcelona's official team list on the Spanish top-tier league's website.
Interestingly, while PLAYER2 has vanished from the midfielders section, and PLAYER1 from the attackers counterpart, Andreas Christensen has now emerged among other defenders, including Araujo and Pau Cubarsi.
Although the Club's supporters and surrounding community express widespread pessimism, some remain hopeful that a resolution will be reached by January 3. Due to its involvement in the Copa del Rey on the following day and the Spanish Super Cup on January 8, Barcelona does not return to La Liga action until January 18, when it faces Getafe away.
- Dani Olmo, who joined Barcelona from RB Leipzig, has been removed from the Spanish La Liga's official team list along with Andreas Christensen's signing from the team list by La Liga, following the league's financial regulations and Barcelona's failure to submit a feasible plan.
- Real Madrid could potentially benefit from Barcelona's situation, as they are in need of reinforcements and both Olmo and Christensen are now available for transfer due to their elimination from Barcelona's team list by La Liga.
- Hansi Flick, the Barcelona manager, may have to look elsewhere for reinforcements in the midfield, as Olmo's departure from the team list leaves a gap that needs to be filled before Barcelona returns to La Liga action against Getafe on January 18.