Collado: open case

The case of Àlex Collado (22 years old) is unprecedented and represents a legal problem worthy of being an exercise to pass a master's degree in sports law. Today the former captain of Barcelona B and one of the most promising players in the quarry he is in a legal limbo from which no one really knows how he can get out. For now Barcelona has started an investigation while asking the Federation for the rehabilitation of the footballer who currently has no record, while the Association of Spanish Footballers supports the player and warns Barça that he could be committing an irregularity.

The facts are as follows. Collado, who this season was no longer a subsidiary player, does not count this course for Koeman and at the beginning of August, Barça agreed to his loan to Bruges. The player leaves the Germany camp and travels to Belgium, but the deal is broken at the last minute. The Belgian club tries to include at the last minute a purchase clause for the footballer to which he refuses because he wants to return to Barça.

He rejoins the first team, but Koeman does not change his mind and on the last day of the market Barça agrees his loan to Sheffield United, of the Championship. By mid-afternoon on August 31, the Catalans and the English complete the agreement and everything depends on the agreement between the player and his new team, but documentation does not arrive in time to be registered in England. He remains in Barcelona without a record and is now in legal limbo.

The Barcelona has initiated before situation two ways of action. On one side has asked the RFEF to give Collado the card again and allow them to register him, because his transfer was conditional on the footballer's agreement with his new club, which was never done. But on the other hand has started an investigation to see what happened in those hours. At the moment they have consulted the player's agents, but they are waiting for the version of Sheffield, which suggests that it was these agents who delayed sending the documentation to boycott the signing and that they do not understand anything.

For its part, Diego Rivas, secretary general of the AFE, warned on Thursday in SER Catalunya that “the situation is illegal and Àlex could denounce Barcelona.” While the RFEF does not know where to get involved in the case, Barça investigates and the AFE threatens, its agents look for a way out for the player in a market that is still open. An unusual case.