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LaLiga -- 10/28 09:59 -- by Sam Marsden
Barcelona have been fined 602 ($669) by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for approaching Julian Alvarez before notifying Atletico Madrid of their interest. Barca plan to appeal the decision, a source said. The Spanish champions made several attempts to sign Alvarez in the summer as they sought a new striker to replace the outgoing Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres . Their pursuit of the Argentina forward angered Atletico, who accused Barca of making an illegal approach for the player and subsequently reported them to both the RFEF and FIFA.
FIFA declared it had no jurisdiction over the case, but the RFEF announced a small fine this week after finding Barca made contact with Alvarez's agent at the time, Fernando Hidalgo, before Atletico. The RFEF's investigation established that a conversation took place between Hidalgo and Barca sporting director Deco on May 15, with the Catalan club's first written communication with Atletico following on May 28. However, the infringement was only considered a "minor regulatory breach," with it falling under Article 133 -- instead of Article 93 -- of the RFEF's Disciplinary Code and, therefore, carrying a smaller punishment. Article 93 is applied for "conscious and repeated breaches" of the RFEF's regulations. Barca offered 100 million ($111m) for Alvarez and left the offer on the table until the end of the transfer window, but Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin repeatedly insisted they would not sell to their LaLiga rivals. Atletico also turned down a 150m ($166m) offer from Real Madrid for Alvarez during the summer, with Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain also expressing an interest in signing the forward. Alvarez had revealed a desire to leave, telling ESPN during the World Cup that he felt a transfer would be best for all parties. Sources told ESPN he wanted to join Barca. His push for a transfer saw him booed by Atletico fans at the start of the season, although bridges have started to be mended in recent weeks. - Julian Alvarez apologizes to Atletico Madrid fans over bid to join Barcelona - Why Real Madrid's Mbappe, Barcelona's Yamal lost Ballon d'Or - Yamal excited despite Ballon d'Or miss: 'Good things take time' The 26-year-old has scored in each of Atletico's last two games, against Stuttgart and Deportivo A Coruna, and after netting the winner in a 1-0 win against the latter on Saturday, he apologised to supporters. "I wanted to say sorry to our fans for my comments during the World Cup," he told Movistar of his decision to speak out in search of a move. "It was a mistake -- the way I said what I said and the timing. I understand why the supporters are angry. If I were a fan, I'd be angry too. Especially given how they've supported me since I arrived." Atletico have won eight of their opening 10 LaLiga games and are second in the table, just two points behind leaders Barcelona. The two teams will meet for the first time since Atletico reported Barca for their Alvarez pursuit at the Metropolitano in Madrid on Nov. 8.
Read on the web: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/50306327/barcelona-fined-julian-alvarez-approach-atletico-madrid
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