Barcelona Leave Roony Bardghji Out of Their Champions League Squad

The Catalan club submitted their squad list for the league phase, and one notable name was missing: Roony Bardghji.

The Swedish winger has been left out of the club’s European squad following the serious knee injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for practically the entire season.

The decision also comes down to limited space.

Barcelona could only register 25 players on List A and needed to use some of those places to include youngsters who, despite being registered with reserve-team contracts in LaLiga, do not yet meet UEFA’s requirements to qualify for List B.

That is where Jesse Bisiwu and Hamza Abdelkarim come in.

Roony’s Injury Ultimately Costs Him a Place in Europe

Bardghji’s situation practically forced Barcelona to make a decision.

With the Swede having no realistic chance of returning in the short term, using one of the 25 available places on him would have further reduced the club’s flexibility when putting together its European squad.

The winger was already facing enormous competition for minutes as well.

Lamine Yamal usually occupies that area of the attack, and Bardghji struggled to find consistent playing time with the first team last season.

His priority now will be to fully recover from his knee injury before thinking about competing for a place again.

Bisiwu and Abdelkarim Need Two Places on List A

One of the most interesting aspects of Barcelona’s squad involves Jesse Bisiwu and Hamza Abdelkarim.

Both youngsters are registered in LaLiga with reserve-team contracts and will keep the No. 27 and No. 29 shirts, respectively. However, the rules are different when it comes to playing in the UEFA Champions League.

Neither player currently meets the development-period requirements established by UEFA to qualify for List B.

For that reason, Barcelona had to include them on List A as first-team players, using two of the 25 available places.

Bisiwu’s inclusion is also significant despite the ankle injury he recently suffered during the Copa Catalunya final against CE Sabadell. The Belgian remains part of the club’s sporting plans, and his registration will allow him to be available in Europe once he completes his recovery.

Brian Fariñas Is a Completely Different Case

Brian Fariñas, however, does not create the same problem.

Although the midfielder wears the No. 4 shirt with the first team in LaLiga, his status under UEFA regulations allows Barcelona to register him on List B.

For the UEFA Champions League, Fariñas will wear No. 28 and can be called up alongside the rest of the players developed in the club’s academy.

List B also provides greater flexibility because it can be updated during the competition according to the deadlines established by UEFA.

That allowed Barcelona to preserve an additional place on their limited List A.

With Bisiwu and Abdelkarim both requiring two of those spots, combined with an injury that is expected to rule Bardghji out for practically the entire season, the club ultimately made the logical decision.

Roony Bardghji will have to watch this edition of the UEFA Champions League from the sidelines.

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