Barcelona's legal entaglement against Atlético has finally come to an end, but the outcome may seem like a bad joke to some of the parties involved.
Spanish Football Federation execs investigated Antoine Griezmann's transfer from Atlético to Barcelona this summer. Griezmann's deal was completed after Barcelona paid the player's $130M buyout clause, but Atlético demanded a fee of over $220M, since they believed that Los Culés had entered negotiations with the player while he was still under contract with Los Colchoneros.
Today, a La Liga spokesman revealed that even though Barcelona did contact Griezmann while under contract with Atlético, there was no evidence on any contract being signed by the player before July 1, the day in which his buyout clause dropped from $220M to $130M. Hence, those in charge of the investigation decided to hand Los Culés a $328 ban. Yes, three hundred and twenty eight dollars, around 300 euros.
Those in charge of the investigation ruled out any further action. This included watching Barcelona play a game at Camp Nou behind closed doors. The Spanish Federation's board believes that such punishment should only be handed to those who infringe a certain kind of ruling, but not necessarily a transfer related issue.
Both clubs have already stated that they will appeal this decision, but judging by this call, it seems that Barcelona has dodged a major bullet.
