Barcelona have been fined 602 euros after the Spanish Football Federation investigated a complaint from Atletico Madrid over the Catalan club’s approach to Julian Alvarez.

The punishment, described as “trivial” by Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, is far below the range of sanctions considered when the disciplinary case was opened. Potential measures under Article 133 of the federation’s disciplinary regulations included a suspension, a temporary ban from football activity or the closure of a stadium for one match.

The article applies to breaches of instructions, decisions and organisational obligations, with 602 euros the maximum fine for a minor offence.

The Spanish Football Federation launched an exceptional disciplinary investigation in late July after Atletico Madrid submitted a formal complaint. FIFA did not take up the case because the dispute involved two clubs belonging to the same national association.

The dispute centred on Barcelona’s interest in signing Argentina striker Alvarez, who is under contract with Atletico Madrid until June 2030. Reports in Spain say the agreement contains a release clause worth 500m euros.

Atletico accused Barcelona of contacting the player and attempting to persuade him to join despite his existing contract. The Madrid club argued that the contacts took place during Alvarez’s contractual protection period and did not follow the required procedures.

Spanish competition regulations state that a club seeking to sign a professional player who remains under contract must notify his current club in writing before beginning negotiations with the player.

Atletico said in May that it objected to what it called a campaign targeting Alvarez, referring to leaks, public comments and contacts that it considered damaging to the club. On 30 June, it filed formal complaints with both the Spanish Football Federation and FIFA.

Barcelona’s interest in the striker had been public. Club president Joan Laporta said manager Hansi Flick wanted to sign Alvarez, while Atletico repeatedly insisted it had no intention of selling him, even if it received substantial offers.

A repeat of the Griezmann dispute

The Alvarez case recalls a similar confrontation between the clubs in the summer of 2019, when Atletico complained about Barcelona’s negotiations with France forward Antoine Griezmann.

Griezmann eventually moved to Barcelona, but the previous case ended with the Catalan club paying a fine of only 300 euros. The investigation had concluded that Barcelona breached regulations by starting talks without notifying Atletico in advance.

The Spanish Football Federation also rejected a proposal to close Camp Nou for one match.

The two cases share the same basic dispute: Atletico challenged Barcelona’s conduct regarding a player still tied to the Madrid club by contract, while the eventual financial penalties remained limited compared with the seriousness of the disagreement between the clubs.