MADRID: A request by Spanish club Leganés to replace a player signed recently by Barcelona was denied Thursday by the country's soccer federation.
The Spanish league and the federation allowed Barcelona a “long-term injury” dispensation to sign a player from another Spanish league team outside the transfer period to fill in for Ousmane Dembele, who had been ruled out for several months with a leg injury.
What happened?
Barcelona used the dispensation to trigger the 18 million euro ($19.4 million) buyout clause in Martin Braithwaite’s contract with Leganés last week, almost three weeks after the transfer window had closed.
Braithwaite was Leganés’ best-attacking player, and the club did not want him to leave.
While Barcelona is leading the league, its modest rival from Madrid is fighting to avoid relegation.
Leganés request denied
Leganés said in a statement that the decision was “unfair” and “tainted the competition and the right of all clubs to compete under the same conditions.”
Why Leganés can't buy?
The Spanish federation allows clubs to sign players outside the transfer window under special circumstances.
One such condition is if the buying club's player suffers a long term injury, 5 months or plus, the club can get permission and access the transfer window.
This was the rule which gave Barcelona the leeway to sign Braithewaite. On the other side, Leganés can't sign as they have no player injured for a long time.
Why did Leganés sell outside transfer window?
Leganes had to sell the player because Barcelona offered to meet the value in the player's release clause.
Barcelona used the dispensation to trigger the 18 million euro ($19.4 million) buyout clause, therefore, it was for the player to decide on the move.
The Federation's POV
The federation said that it had consulted FIFA regarding Leganés’ request, but that there were no grounds to grant a club a dispensation to sign a replacement for a player that had left when his buyout clause had been triggered.
The federation said that if it were to allow Leganés to sign a player from another club, it would “lead to a chain of transfers outside the official window.”
The fans are angry
Once the official statement came out, many fans supported the relegation battling club, especially the enraged fans of Leganés.
Not everyone is unhappy
Contrary to what the supporters believe, some fans say Barcelona was just following the rules and argue that it was Leganes' fault for not making the release clause higher.
The consequences?
Now that the problem has emerged, many are pressing for a solution though it's too late for Leganés.
Losing their key player may lead to relegation as they are already placed in the 19th position.
For Barcelona, the only problem for the club is their image getting a slight hit but for them its nothing more than collateral damage.
For the Spanish federation, this deal shows the bias in the rules and raises some pertinent questions. It remains to be seen whether the rules will be changed before the next season.
(With AP inputs)