Spanish football fines Barcelona over Griezmann transfer

Barcelona have been fined only 300 euros (£265) by the Spanish Football Federation for their approach to Antoine Griezmann while he was at La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid.

Spanish champions Barcelona signed Griezmann after paying his 120m-euro (£107m) buyout clause on 1 July.

But the federation said Barcelona broke its rules by negotiating with Griezmann without Atletico’s permission.

Atletico believed his buyout clause should have been 200m euros (£179m).

They claimed that Barca began talking to the player in March, when that was the size of his buyout clause.

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His cost then dropped to 120m euros at the start of July, which was when he signed for Barca, but Atletico claimed the “commitment of the player and Barcelona was closed” prior to the clause reducing.

The player was absolved of any responsibility by the federation.

Griezmann – who had announced in May he would leave the Madrid side – penned a five-year deal with Barca, which includes an 800m euro (£717m) release clause, to become the world’s sixth most expensive signing.

Following the move, Atletico released a statement in which they expressed their “strongest repulsion for the behaviour of both, especially Barcelona”.

The Madrid club previously reported Barcelona to Fifa over an alleged illegal approach for Griezmann in December 2017.