Barcelona fined by Spanish FA over Julian Alvarez pursuit after Atletico Madrid complaint

Barcelona fined €602 by Spanish FA after Atletico Madrid complained the club approached Alvarez without proper notification.

Barcelona has been fined €602 (£503) by the Spanish Football Federation following a complaint from Atletico Madrid over the Catalan club's contact with striker Julian Alvarez. The complaint centred on Barcelona approaching Alvarez without first notifying Atletico in writing, as required by federation regulations. The sanction was issued under Article 133 of the federation's rulebook. Atletico also escalated the matter to FIFA, which determined it had no jurisdiction.

Alvarez ultimately remained at Atletico Madrid despite interest from Barcelona and Arsenal during the summer transfer window. The striker had previously expressed his desire to join Barcelona in an interview during the 2026 World Cup, triggering a transfer dispute. He has since apologised to Atletico fans for those comments, acknowledging their anger was justified. After scoring against Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, Alvarez received a standing ovation from sections of the crowd, signalling a thawing relationship with supporters who had frequently booed him earlier in the season.