Illicit Approach of Julian Alvarez: Barcelona Fined €602 by RFEF

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has condemned FC Barcelona to pay a fine of €602 for attempting to recruit Julian Alvarez without respecting regulatory procedure, Mundo Deportivo revealed on Tuesday. The sanction follows a complaint filed by Atlético Madrid, the club to which the Argentine striker belongs.

Atlético had referred the matter to the RFEF citing an article of La Liga regulations that requires any club wishing to recruit a professional player to notify in writing its intention to the player’s current club before beginning any negotiations. In condemning Barça, the federal body acknowledged that Barcelona had not respected this rule, relying on article 133, which concerns “non-compliance with orders, instructions, agreements or regulatory obligations”.

The amount of €602 corresponds to the maximum penalty provided for by this article. The RFEF could have gone further: the regulations also authorized sporting sanctions, including disqualification or suspension of up to two months or several matches. These measures were ultimately not applied.

This is not the first time Barcelona has found itself in this situation against Atlético. In 2019, the Catalan club had already been targeted by a similar complaint concerning Antoine Griezmann, for having signed an agreement with the French international before the end of his contract. The matter was then settled amicably for a symbolic sum of €300.

Despite the modesty of the financial penalty, the RFEF’s decision formally validates Atlético’s complaint and confirms that Barcelona circumvented the rules in force during this summer’s transfer window.