Barca's Olmo and Victor free to play after Sports Council extends registration

MADRID :Dani Olmo and Pau Victor will be allowed to play for Barcelona after Spain's National Sports Council (CSD) on Wednesday allowed the LaLiga club to provisionally register the duo, four days after Spanish football authorities rejected their requests.

Barcelona signed the two players in the close season but due to the club being unable to meet LaLiga's wage cap, they were allowed to be registered for the first half of the season only.

On Saturday, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) and LaLiga had rejected a request to register them both for the second half of the season.

"This measure, which is provisional until the final resolution of the appeal lodged by the club and the aforementioned players, suspends the Agreement of the Monitoring Committee of the RFEF-LaLiga Coordination Agreement... and the cancellation of the sporting licences of the aforementioned players," it said.

"Likewise, it maintains the validity of those licences until this appeal is finally resolved."

Two courts had also previously rejected Barcelona's requests but the CSD upheld the club's appeal, stating that professional athletes "have the right to a sporting career in accordance with their potential with guarantees and certainty."

"The CSD considers that the non-adoption of this precautionary measure would cause serious economic and sporting damage to the club and, above all, to the players," the CSD added.

"This could also harm the interests of the Spanish national team, as well as the rest of the national competitions, including LaLiga."

However, the verdict came after Hansi Flick announced the squad for Barcelona's Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Bilbao later on Wednesday, with neither Olmo nor Victor named among the starters or