Scandal in La Liga: The double standard with Barça and Madrid exposed by Miguel Galán

LaLiga has once again placed Fútbol Club Barcelona in the spotlight following the registration of Roony Bardghji with a reserve team license. Javier Gómez, general director and considered the “father of Financial Fair Play”, launched a controversial public warning against the Blaugrana club, considering that this move could be a “loophole” to circumvent salary limits.

However, what is striking is the silence on a very similar case at Real Madrid with Franco Mastantuono, which opens the debate on LaLiga's double standards. The president of CENAFE, Miguel Galán, has denounced this situation on his 'X' account.

LaLiga's warning to Barça regarding Bardghji's registration

OFFICIAL: Roony Bardghji, new FC Barcelona player until 2029

Barça decided to register Roony Bardghji through the Catalan Football Federation, using the reserve team route to avoid overloading the first team's salary limit. Immediately afterwards, Javier Gómez warned the Blaugrana club in no uncertain terms that if a footballer is in the reserve team and wants to play in the first team, they must apply for a visa.

The LaLiga executive explained that, in order to grant that visa, it was necessary to review the 2022 circular and check if his salary was in line with the reserve team or if it was too high and was counted as a first team salary.

According to Gómez: “If a boy is in the youth team and wants to play in the first team, he has to apply for a visa... if he earns like a reserve team player, no problem; but if he earns closer to a first team footballer, it is counted in the first team”

And Gómez concluded the controversial warning with a phrase that left its mark: “It cannot be a loophole to circumvent fair play”.

The Mastantuono case at Real Madrid and LaLiga's controversial silence

After alerting Barcelona about the registration of Roony Bardghji in the reserve team and questioning his salary, La Liga remains silent about Mastantuono. Surprisingly, as various critical voices point out, LaLiga is indeed strict with the salary of the Barça player, but remains silent on the case of Franco Mastantuono, registered by Real Madrid with a reserve team license, despite the fact that his salary and signing cost is much higher than that of the Swedish footballer from Barcelona.

This lack of pronouncement by La Liga has ignited social media and sparked suspicions of unequal treatment between Madrid and Barça, the two giants of Spanish football. Below is a comparative table between both cases:

Miguel Galán denounces the registrations of Bardghji and Mastantuono

The president of CENAFE, Miguel Galán, has been one of the harshest voices against this situation. In his words: “I already said it, article 125, which prohibits fraudulently registering first team players in the reserve teams, is being prostituted, but as the president of Osasuna said, ‘everyone does it’”. For Galán, a leader critical of this lack of equity, the problem is serious:

According to Miguel Galán: “Article 125, which prohibits fraudulently registering first team players in the reserve teams, is being prostituted, but as the president of Osasuna said, ‘everyone does it’.”

The president of CENAFE pointed out that: “I have never denounced... I only sent a letter to the competition judge to act ex officio, and I will do the same with Barça”. Galán also clarified that he never denounced Real Madrid or Mastantuono: “It is completely false that I have filed a complaint. I only sent a letter to the competition judge to act ex officio, and in any case I would do the same with Barça”.

Double standards in LaLiga's Financial Fair Play with Barça and Madrid?

The question that remains in the air is obvious: why is Barça's maneuver questioned and the same standard is not applied to Real Madrid? For Galán, the problem is fundamental: “The current system does not offer legal certainty and generates a feeling of arbitrariness. It cannot be that some are squeezed and others are ignored”.

The controversy, once again, leaves Barça at the center of the media and legal debate, while LaLiga insists on its staunch defense of Financial Fair Play, although with cracks that fuel accusations of bias.

How long will the regulations be applied partially?

The disparity between both cases is clear: LaLiga acts rigidly against Barcelona, demanding a visa and conditioning the registration according to the salary, while the Mastantuono case, with high figures and a similar situation, goes without any reproach. Miguel Galán exposes it bluntly: there is a double standard. LaLiga claims to defend Financial Fair Play, but these differences fuel the perception of arbitrariness.

The Bardghji case is just one more episode in the tense relationship between FC Barcelona and LaLiga. Gómez's warning opens a new front, but the silence on Mastantuono multiplies the feeling of inequality. The Barça fans, and a good part of the analysts, wonder how long this double standard in the application of the regulations will continue.

Why is Barça's maneuver questioned and the same standard is not applied to Real Madrid? 

Do you think LaLiga should also investigate the Mastantuono case?

• 👉 More news and critical analysis on the current Barça situation at FCBN.