The setback for Barça off the field centers on a court decision affecting Gavi’s playing status. A court order that previously allowed his registration to be treated as a precautionary measure has been put on hold. Sources indicate that the Commercial Court number 12 in Barcelona suspended the registration, pending the outcome of the winter market window, while the competition authority’s ruling on his professional status is also paused.
A registration pause tied to a potential form error
The likely trigger for the move appears to be a procedural slip. Barça filed its appeal the day after the deadline, and reports from trusted outlets suggest this timing issue prompted the lifting of the precaution. The Commercial Court involved has confirmed that Barça may need to challenge the decision anew. According to Barça insiders, Gavi will now continue to appear with a youth or reserve squad designation until the end of the season.
The court has nullified Gavi’s registration in the short term. Although Barça had secured La Liga’s initial consent to register him, the lawsuit was submitted a day late, which led to the temporary suspension of the registration. The same court later announced that the precautionary status would remain on hold pending further legal action.
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Gavi’s status extended to 2026 with a 1,000 million euro clause
Gavi’s deal, set to run through June 30, 2026, included a first-team status and a substantial clause worth 1,000 million euros. With the court’s recent move, he must keep playing the season with a junior team record rather than continuing as a first-team player. Barça plans to appeal, but La Liga is expected to push back on Gavi’s registration at season’s end. Inside reporting indicates that La Liga’s stance is rooted in financial-control rules, aiming to keep club payrolls within fair-play guidelines. Barça’s leadership has signaled they will appeal the court’s decision, underscoring the ongoing friction between the club and the league over registration rules.
Gavi and a potential echo of the Pedro León case
Barça sources acknowledge that the Gavi registration dispute echoes previous conflicts between clubs and the league’s licensing authority. Historical precedent exists from a 2016 Madrid Court decision involving Pedro León and the AFE, which denied a license to a player when the club exceeded its cost limit under fair-play rules. That ruling upheld La Liga’s authority to decide registration eligibility on financial grounds. Barça fears a similar outcome could unfold in Gavi’s case, and the club has indicated it will pursue an appeal against the precautionary measure that currently allows for registration to proceed at a certain level. The Pedro León precedent is often cited in discussions about whether a league or federation can bar a player’s registration when a club breaches cost-control requirements, as the courts have previously weighed in on these issues.
The core dispute over who can issue and approve registrations
La Liga maintains that it alone has the authority to grant provisional licenses for player registrations and to enforce the economic-control framework that governs clubs. Tebas and league officials have argued that any club failing to meet these parameters cannot approve registration for any player, because doing so would undermine the broader fairness and stability of the competition. In practical terms, this means the league asserts that its member clubs must comply with budgets, financial-control rules, and registration visas as part of their governance obligations.
In short, membership in La Liga implies adherence to its regulations, circulars, and financial guidelines, including the approved player-registration process.
Source: Goal