FC Barcelona is once again struggling to register its players, a problem that has persisted since the 2021-22 season. This Saturday, for their league opener in Palma against Mallorca, the team might not have Marcus Rashford available, while Joan García is expected to play if LaLiga’s medical commission approves Marc-André ter Stegen’s long-term injury exemption. Delays also affect Wojciech Szczesny, Gerard Martín, Roony Bardghji, and Marc Bernal, highlighting the club’s ongoing difficulty in complying with the 1:1 financial fair play rule.

Four Years of Registration Struggles

Since 2021, Barcelona has faced similar challenges. That summer, Sergio Agüero was only registered on the final day of the transfer window, thanks to salary reductions by Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Earlier, Gerard Piqué had also adjusted his contract so that players like Memphis Depay, Eric García, and Rey Manaj could be officially registered for the first matchday.

Subsequent seasons brought new complications. The “levers” campaign allowed high-profile signings such as Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Jules Koundé, with Koundé being particularly difficult to register. In 2023-24, the club had to re-register players like Ronald Araújo, Sergi Roberto, Abde, and Gavi, even taking legal action for Abde when LaLiga denied his first-team registration.

Last season, after paying over €50 million to Leipzig, Dani Olmo could not play in the first two league matches and was only registered due to Andreas Christensen’s long-term injury. At Christmas, LaLiga announced the “de-registration” of Olmo and Pau Víctor, which was ultimately reversed by a CSD decree.

A Guarantee as a Temporary Solution

To address the budget imbalance, the Barcelona Board of Directors unanimously approved a €7 million guarantee, which would allow registration of players who still lack a squad number: goalkeepers Joan García and Wojciech Szczesny, midfielder Marc Bernal, defender Gerard Martín, and forwards Marcus Rashford and Roony Bardghji. The club hopes that, combined with the pending approval of the VIP box revenue at Spotify Camp Nou, it will be able to comply with the 1:1 financial fair play rule.

Meanwhile, Hansi Flick has conducted training sessions with all available first-team players and reserve team talents like Toni Fernández, Guille Fernández, Jofre Turrents, and Pedro ‘Dro’ Fernández. Robert Lewandowski is still recovering from a biceps femoris injury, and Marc-André ter Stegen remains sidelined, increasing the urgency to register Joan García as soon as possible.

Barcelona hopes this guarantee and the financial regularization will finally allow the season to start with all reinforcements available, avoiding yet another chapter of agonizing player registrations.