Gil Marin Goes to War
Atletico Madrid are not staying quiet. CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has gone public with a furious broadside against Barcelona, announcing that the club will file a formal complaint with FIFA for illegally approaching Julian Alvarez while the Argentine striker remains under a contract running until 2030.
“Our responsibility is to defend the interests of Atletico Madrid,” Gil Marin said. “That is why we are going to file a complaint with FIFA against Barcelona for negotiating with a player under an active contract during the protected period.”
The trigger was Alvarez himself. Following Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria at the World Cup on Monday, the striker told the media he had already informed the Atletico hierarchy of his desire to move on. He spoke candidly. He spoke publicly. He spoke on a day that belonged to Lionel Messi.
That timing made Gil Marin’s frustration even sharper. “It was not the right day to make those statements,” he said. “It was Messi’s day and that of the Argentine national team, not just Julian’s.” The implication was clear. Barcelona had pushed Alvarez toward a public declaration at a moment designed to create maximum pressure on Atletico.
“Barcelona Is Lying”
Gil Marin did not stop at the FIFA threat. He went further, delivering a scorched-earth assessment of Barcelona’s conduct that will reverberate across Spanish football for days.
“Barcelona is trying to convince everyone that they are capable of completing a deal they do not actually have the real ability to execute,” he said bluntly. “They lie to us, to the player, to the media. They even lie to their own supporters.”
The Atletico CEO then referenced Barcelona’s handling of the Nico Williams situation last summer, when the Catalan club spent months publicly pushing a deal for the Athletic Bilbao winger before the pursuit collapsed entirely. “This is not the first time Barcelona has acted this way,” he said. “The football world knows it too.”
Atletico’s position on Alvarez remains absolute. They rejected Barcelona’s first bid. A second bid of 65 to 70 million euros followed, but Atletico will not entertain an offer at any price this summer. “Julian has a dream,” Gil Marin acknowledged. “We at Atletico also have dreams. He knows our position well, because we have been very clear. Atletico does not want to sell.”
Arsenal have also emerged as a potential alternative destination. Reports suggest Atletico would prefer to negotiate with the Gunners rather than Barcelona, with a package involving 60 million euros and Viktor Gyokeres floated in Spain. That combination appears unlikely given Gyokeres only joined Arsenal last summer.
The FIFA complaint adds a legal dimension to what is already one of the summer’s most explosive transfer sagas. Barcelona face potential sanctions if the governing body rules that their approach constituted an illegal tapping-up during the protected contract period.
For full coverage of the Alvarez transfer saga and summer transfer window updates, visit KCPredict. The full details of Atletico’s announcement and Gil Marin’s complete interview are covered at ESPN.