FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta vehemently defended the club’s actions in the recent registration dispute involving Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor, asserting that they fully complied with regulations. He accused La Liga of imposing additional requirements beyond the established rules and criticized both La Liga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for relying on an “obsolete” article to block the players’ registration. Laporta also firmly rejected calls for his resignation.

Laporta stated that Barcelona submitted all necessary documentation to La Liga on December 27th, well within the deadline. However, La Liga requested additional requirements between December 28th and 31st, which Laporta claims were not part of the established regulations. He explained that despite initially believing they met all requirements, La Liga demanded further documentation.

Barcelona then sought an extension of the players’ licenses from the RFEF, who initially expressed no objections but indicated that the club didn’t meet the specified criteria. La Liga and the RFEF then cited an outdated article aimed at preventing players from registering with multiple clubs in a single season, an argument that Barcelona vehemently rejected, arguing the article did not apply to this situation.

Barcelona defended its position, arguing that Olmo and Víctor had valid contracts and were merely seeking license extensions. Facing continued rejection, despite meeting the 1:1 financial fair play criteria, Barcelona appealed to the Higher Council of Sports (CSD).

Laporta, while avoiding detailed explanations due to the ongoing legal proceedings, insisted that Barcelona has fully complied with regulations and expressed confidence in the legal process. He emphasized Barcelona’s belief in the rule of law and the CSD’s requirement for demonstrating irreparable harm and a strong case, which they believe they’ve presented.

Barcelona’s strength and rebuttal of negative narratives

Laporta framed the events of the past two weeks as demonstrating Barcelona’s resilience and refuting negative narratives spread by those he described as driven by either ignorance or malice, or both.

He highlighted Barcelona’s return to 1:1 financial fair play compliance, facilitated by new sponsorship deals, as evidence of sound management, directly challenging criticisms of the club’s financial stability. He underscored the fact that major sponsors like Nike and Spotify are actively partnering with the club, demonstrating confidence in Barcelona’s trajectory.

Laporta directly addressed calls for his resignation, stating, “Can anyone think that the president of Barça should resign because of a decision by La Liga or the Federation? Can anyone imagine me resigning because of a decision by La Liga or the Federation?“ This forceful rejection underscores his confidence in the club’s actions and his determination to see the situation through to a successful conclusion. His statement directly challenges those calling for his resignation.