Barcelona Takes Unlicensed Players to Supercup in Saudi Arabia

Barcelona players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have traveled with the team to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Supercup, despite not having valid player licenses. Their registrations expired on December 31st, but Barcelona insists on re-registering them despite objections from La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Neither Olmo nor Victor can legally play in matches, as their licenses have lapsed. However, they are allowed to travel with the squad. Barcelona hopes to complete their registration in the coming days, potentially in time for a hypothetical final match on January 12th if the team advances past the semi-final on January 8th.

The club had several months to renew the players’ registrations, including a five-month grace period, but failed to do so before the December 31st deadline. Now Barcelona is attempting to create new registrations for the players, which goes against regulations prohibiting double registration for a single player in one season.

Despite repeated rejections from La Liga and the RFEF, Barcelona continues to argue that their actions are legal. As a last resort, the club plans to appeal to the Spanish Sports Council (CSD) for an injunction allowing the players to participate.

For now, Olmo and Victor have traveled to Saudi Arabia with the team, but cannot play without valid licenses. The situation remains unresolved as Barcelona pursues legal options to register the players in time for potential Supercup matches.