Barcelona are facing the threat of a three-point deduction in La Liga after Spain's football federation opened a formal disciplinary investigation into the club's pursuit of Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez, ONE reports.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) launched the extraordinary proceedings under its disciplinary code after Atlético lodged an official complaint accusing Barcelona of making repeated, unauthorised contact with Álvarez over several months in an attempt to lure him away from the club.
Atlético went public with its grievance, describing Barcelona's conduct as harassment and taking the complaint to both the Spanish federation and FIFA. The Madrid club argues the approaches came while Álvarez remained firmly under contract, which runs until the summer of 2030.
The saga gained fresh fuel when Álvarez himself spoke publicly during Argentina's 2026 World Cup campaign, saying on June 22 that he wanted to "fulfil his dream" — remarks widely read in Spain as an acknowledgement of Barcelona's interest.
According to ONE, the sanctions available to the RFEF against Barcelona under Section 93 of its disciplinary code are severe: a deduction of three points in next season's La Liga table, partial or full closure of the club's facilities for a number of matches, a ban on registering new players for one or more transfer windows, and financial fines.
Álvarez himself is not shielded from the process. The RFEF could suspend him for anywhere between one month and two years, with a minimum four-match ban should he be found to have breached the rules, and he could also be ordered to compensate Atlético for the period he is unable to play.
The case will now proceed through Spain's extraordinary disciplinary procedure, with Barcelona and Atlético each submitting written arguments before a disciplinary instructor rules on whether the regulations were actually broken.
Crucially, the opening of an investigation does not mean sanctions are inevitable — Barcelona have been formally notified and will get the chance to mount a defence before any verdict is reached.
Still, the scale of the potential punishment is striking for a club already navigating tight financial fair play constraints under La Liga's spending rules, and it adds a fresh layer of tension to a transfer pursuit that Atlético insists crossed a clear line.
