The Disciplinary Committee of the Spanish Football Federation decided to initiate exceptional disciplinary proceedings against Barcelona Club, due to allegations of its contact with the Argentine striker Julian Alvarez, player of Atletico Madrid, whose contract extends until 2030.
According to the Spanish news agency (EFE), the Disciplinary Committee appointed an investigator to manage the proceedings and notified the Catalan club of its decision, and Barcelona has the right to submit its defenses, as well as the right to request a hearing during the investigation.
Atletico Madrid sues Barcelona because of Alvarez
Sources at Barcelona confirmed to the Spanish news agency that they had already received the complaint and are now waiting for the Royal Spanish Football Federation to set the deadline for submitting their defenses.
On June 30, Atletico Madrid filed a complaint against Barcelona with the Spanish Football Federation as well as FIFA, due to allegations of its contact with Alvarez, who has a valid contract for the next 4 seasons, including a release clause worth 500 million euros.
According to Atletico Madrid's CEO, Miguel Angel Gil Marin, Barcelona's management negotiated with a player under a long-term contract and during the protected period.
The protected period is determined based on the player's age at the time of signing the contract, and extends for three full seasons, i.e., three years for players aged between 23 and 28, and Alvarez is 26 years old.
The Argentine international striker had joined Atletico two years ago, coming from Manchester City, when he was 24 years old, which means the protected period has not yet ended.
On May 29, Atletico Madrid publicly denounced a "smear campaign against one of our players," referring to Julian, by Barcelona, without explicitly naming any of the players, pointing to leaks that serve its personal interests, ongoing disrespect, in addition to contacts occurring before official negotiations.
Barcelona's interest and statements regarding Alvarez
Barcelona's interest in signing Alvarez began at the end of last May, when the Catalan club submitted an offer to Atletico Madrid worth 100 million euros, to be paid in installments.
Atletico Madrid announced that the Argentine striker is not for sale, and insisted on the release clause (500 million euros), and Real Madrid entered the competition with an offer worth 150 million euros, but it was also rejected.
Julian Alvarez stirs controversy over his future
On June 22, after Argentina's victory over Austria in the 2026 World Cup, Alvarez stated that: "The transfer is best for everyone" and that "he wants to achieve his dream," without mentioning Barcelona or any other club, adding that he had informed Atletico of this.
The CEO of Atletico later stated: "I deeply regret his statements, that was not the right day to make those statements, Julian has a dream, and we Atletico fans also have dreams, the club does not want to waive its rights."
Amid these successive statements, Barcelona president Joan Laporta confirmed that the Argentine striker is wanted by coach Hans Flick, which is why the offer was submitted, describing the player as very important and good.
Gil Marin recently told the club's official media: "My opinion is clear, and the club's will is clear, this is what the player, his agent, and Barcelona president Joan Laporta told us, I have no doubt that Atletico is the best place for Julian, and that Julian is the ideal striker for our team and we want to keep him."
Gil Marin continued: "We do not want to sell him, and we will not accept the 100 million euro offer, nor the 150 million euro offer or the 200 million euro offer."
Atletico Madrid arms itself with FIFA regulations
It is worth noting that FIFA's regulations on the status and transfer of players include penalties for clubs that incite a player to terminate his contract, as well as for the player himself.
The regulation states: "If it is proven, after examining the facts of each case and its individual circumstances, according to the principle of the balance of probabilities, that the new club has incited a player to terminate his contract during the protected period, the new club shall be prohibited from registering new players, whether at the domestic or international level, for two consecutive full registration periods."
