Pursuit of Julian Alvarez: FC Barcelona handed a laughable punishment
Barcelona have been punished by the Spanish federation for holding unauthorised talks with Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.
Last summer, the Catalans illegally held talks with the Argentinian forward without informing those in charge at the Rojiblancos.
Atletico subsequently lodged a complaint. FIFA said it had no jurisdiction, so the Spanish federation, the RFEF, took over the investigation. The RFEF concluded that Barca could be found guilty only of a "minor infringement". That leaves the Catalans with a bill of just €602, mere peanuts for a club whose turnover passed the billion-euro mark in 2025/26.
A similar ruling in 2019 cost Barca €300 for prohibited contact with Antoine Griezmann, who was also under contract at Atletico Madrid at the time.
In Alvarez's case, the player had already spoken in favour of a move to Barcelona during the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The Madrid club, however, pointed to his contract, which runs until 2030, and the stipulated release clause of a whopping €500 million.
After the deal fell through, Alvarez stayed in Madrid despite openly expressing his desire to move. He faced considerable hostility from fans. "I wanted to apologise to our fans for my words during the World Cup. That was a mistake – both the way I said it and the timing," he recently said in an interview with Marca, asking for forgiveness.
He said he could "understand why people are angry. I would have been angry too if I were a fan. All the more so because they had backed me so strongly. I also want to thank the team because they supported me during that time."
Coach Diego Simeone brings Julian Alvarez back into favour at Atletico Madrid
On the pitch, coach Diego Simeone brought him back into favour long ago, and he is now playing regularly again. Last weekend, he made his first league start in the 1-0 win against Deportivo A Coruna and scored the decisive goal. He has two goals and two assists from nine competitive appearances in total.
Barca, meanwhile, signed Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal shortly before the transfer window closed. The reigning champions had lost Robert Lewandowski to Chicago Fire in MLS on a free transfer and Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain for €48.5 million. Alvarez was originally supposed to fill the gap.
