Barcelona Faces Criticism Over Dani Olmo And Pau Victor's Status

Dani Olmo is in a complicated situation with Barcelona (Instagram/@daniolmo).

JAKARTA - Barcelona faced criticism from Athletic Bilbao after Dani Olmo and Pau Victor were granted permission to play temporarily by the Spanish Supreme Sports Court or Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD).

The registration of the two players was rejected by La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after the Catalan club failed to comply with the deadline of December 31, 2024 to prove its compliance with the league's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Barcelona managed to appeal to CSD so that Olmo and Victor were allowed to play temporarily before a definitive decision was made.

Speaking before Barcelona's 0-2 defeat in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup (Supercopa de Espana) on Thursday, January 9, 2025, early morning WIB, in Jeddah, Athletic Bilbao President, Jonferte, called the decision dire.

"It was a temporary action taken by political agencies. Now La Liga and the Federation (Spanish Football) must defend the decisions they have taken."

"Maybe if I draw a conclusion, we have entered the eighth day of the new year and we are experiencing something extraordinary."

"We, the clubs, are asked to try to grow, make our competition bigger on the one hand."

"On the other hand, trying to come here (Saudi Arabia), to a country far from our fans, to play these (Supercopa de Espana) matches."

"However, then we went through these terrible situations. Such a situation should not have happened because it was very bad for football," saidLARte.

Athletic is the only club in Spain's top two divisions to publicly react to CSD's decision on Olmo and Victor.

Barcelona's sporting director, Deco, defended his club in response toANTE's comments.

"Every club has their own problems and obstacles and must focus on themselves," said Deco.

"We did things well at Barcelona, trying to do things the best we could."

"Everything else is in the hands of the governing bodies or courts. If they have provided (registration of players) for now, there is a reason for that," said Deco again.

Athletic forward Inaki Williams said he thought Spanish football might be tarnished by the ordeal.

"Like all football fans, I was surprised. It seems the rules are not the same for everyone, but we are not the ones who have to decide."

"If they have decided on this, there must be a reason. We never stop being surprised, the image of Spanish football may be slightly tarnished because there are many divisions due to many things that are not understood."

"We have to close this chapter for the good of Spanish football. I'm happy for Dani Olmo and Pau Victor."

"I think it's a very difficult situation for them. All they want is to play football. As a football professional, I'm happy for both of them," Williams said.

Meanwhile, La Liga President Javier Tebas took into account the matter. He also expressed his surprise over the CSD decision.

He took the opportunity to ask why there was silence from Real Madrid.

"President of CSD (Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes) appears to have heard a single vote, which does not represent Spanish professional football."

"The sound, strangely, remains silent in this case. Where is Real Madrid TV now?" Tebas said on social media.

Previously, Real Madrid TV was famous for often criticizing some of La Liga's actions, especially Tebas' comments.

However, in the current Barcelona case, Los Blancos' channel has not yet cast its voice.

Apart from that, Olmo, a player recruited in the summer for 60 million pounds from RB Leipzig, and Victor, who joined in August 2024 on permanent transfer from Girona, will be available to play in the Spanish Super Cup final on Monday, January 13, 2025, early morning WIB.

Both were not included in the semifinal match against Athletic Bilbao. However, in the final titled El Clasico when they met Real Madrid, Olmo and Victor could be fielded.

In fact, there is a possibility that Olmo and Victor will defend Barcelona for the next few matches.

The reason is, CSD is still conducting an in-depth analysis before issuing the final decision which is estimated to take three months. During the review period, Olmo and Victor were still allowed to play for Barcelona.