The Dani Olmo case could end up as a complete disaster. Hansi Flick hasn't just chosen Olmo and Pau Víctor to the Super Cup in Arabia, but he has orders from the president to line them up.
The last word on the Olmo case hasn't been written yet. Barça is playing the first semifinals of the Super Cup in Arabia this Wednesday. It will face Athletic de Bilbao, one of the three clubs that have maneuvered to harm the interests of the Catalan club.
Green Light for Olmo to Play in Arabia
Joan Laporta intends to apply pressure at the highest levels by taking both players to Arabia.
LaLiga and the Spanish Federation have decided in the last few hours that neither Olmo nor Pau Víctor can play with Barça, at least for the rest of this season. However, the Catalan club has returned to the 1:1 and could now sign whoever they want, with fair play covered.
Laporta doesn't give up and has recommended Flick take Olmo and Pau Víctor to Arabia. He has even given him the green light to play them if he deems it appropriate. That is the situation as of today.
The Conspiracy Theory
It would be a full-blown declaration of war. Barça wants to play its cards and threatens the Federation and LaLiga with using the players from its team. Even if they might later strip them of the title in case of a blaugrana victory.
That's what the Barcelona president would wish: to take away from the offices what his team wins on the field. This would confirm his conspiracy theory.
Laporta, however, still trusts that the CSD[Spain's Sporting High Council]will side with him. He prefers to have both players in Arabia in case the CSD's decision is favorable. Otherwise, there will be a crisis cabinet meeting to decide whether Flick lines up Dani Olmo or not.
The Stance of Athletic De Bilbao
FC Barcelona will present a document to the CSD tomorrow Tuesday, claiming the "cautelarísima"[a kind of precautionary measure] for Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor. It's not clear that the CSD will release its ruling before Wednesday, but both players will be in Arabia just in case.
From Bilbao, they've stated in advance that, if Barça is tempted to draft them against Athletic, the Basque team won't show up for the match. They will consider it an improper line-up.
Freixa Assures That the Law is on Barça's Side
Curiously, the one who has defended the continuity of Olmo and Pau Víctor in Barça's line-up most vehemently is Toni Freixa. He is a former rival of Joan Laporta as a candidate for Barça's presidency.
A lawyer like Joan Laporta, Freixa sticks to the law to conclude that the decision of the Federation and LaLiga to exclude Olmo from Barça's team is irregular.
According to Freixa, "the Monitoring Committee between LaLiga and RFEF issues a statement of barely two paragraphs saying they don't allow the registration of Olmo and Pau Víctor.
"This is due to a literal construe of sections 130.2 and 141.5 of the RFEF Regulations." Freixa replies that "these two sections don't match the cases of both players," he said in Mundo Deportivo.
Section 130.2 of the RFEF Regulations states that "A player can be registered in only one team of one club." It specifies: "...without the possibility of being unregistered and registered by the same club during the same season."
Freixa argues that this is not the case for Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor. Barcelona is not the one that terminated the contract with them.
Section 141.5 says: "Players whose license is canceled cannot obtain a license in the same club to which they were already linked during the same season."
Freixa states that this is not the case for Olmo and Víctor because it was the RFEF that canceled the license.
Freixa is clear: "I have no doubt because a case like Olmo and Pau Víctor's is not regulated. Barça is completely right and I have confidence in justice."
Freixa hopes the matter will be solved, but not by Wednesday. "A favorable ruling for the finals can be obtained," he said.