Why can’t Aubameyang sign for Atlético de Madrid or return to Barcelona?

there is case Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese, with few minutes in the Chelseasounded to reinforce the Atletico Madrid before the departure of Joao Félix, but he will not be able to leave the English club due to a FIFA regulation that prevents a player from competing in three teams during the same season.

Before coming to the ‘Blues’, in exchange for 12 million euros, Aubameyang played eight minutes with FC Barcelona on the opening day of LaLiga Santander against Rayo Vallecano. Later, already at Stamford Bridge, he played some games.

What does the FIFA regulation say?

Players can be registered with a maximum of three clubs during a season. During this period, the player is eligible to play official matches for only two clubs, subject to the following temporary exceptions. As an exception to this rule, a player who plays for two clubs belonging to associations whose seasons intersect (i.e. where one season starts in the summer/fall while the other starts in the winter/spring), may be eligible to play official matches. at a third club during the relevant season, provided they have fully fulfilled their contractual obligations with their previous clubs. Likewise, the provisions on registration periods (art. 6), as well as the minimum duration of a contract (art. 18, para. 2) must be respected.

Yo. During the following period, players may register with a maximum of three clubs and play official matches for three clubs in the same season: a) in the case of associations whose seasons are played in two different years: the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021; and b) in the case of associations whose seasons are held in a single year: the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Nor can he return to FC Barcelona

Due to the impediment of reaching Atlético de Madrid, the possibility arose that he would return to Barcelona in case the ‘culés’ find a way out to Memphis Depay. However, this is also not viable due to the regulations of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, which prohibits registering a player who was released from the same club during the same season.

“Footballers whose license is cancelled, may not, during the same season, obtain a license in the same team of the club to which they were already linked,” says point 5 of article 141.5.