Why is Aubameyang unable to sign for Atlético?
The Gabonese forward was an option to strengthen Atlético’s attack. He has made just four appearances in the starting XI for Chelsea this season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will not be eligible to sign for Atlético Madrid in the January window - for a question of eight minutes. The Gabonese’s forward has been mentioned as a possible reinforcement following João Félix’s departure, but FIFA rules prevent him from playing for any club other than Barcelona or Chelsea.
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Aubameyang left Camp Nou in September, joining Chelsea for €14 million. The summer transfer window had already expired when the deal went through and Aubameyang had made one, very brief appearance in an official LaLiga match with Barça. He came on as a late sub in the opening day game against Rayo Vallecano, replacing Jordi Alba for the last eight minutes of the match. On top of that, he has played 15 official matches with Chelsea, between the Premier League and Champions League.
For that reason, Aubameyang won’t be going anywhere in the current transfer window - at least not to Atleti. While players are eligible to register with three different clubs in the same season, they can only play official games with two of those clubs, which is the situation Aubameyang finds himself in.
FIFA regulations on player registration in Article 5.4 states the following:
“5.4. Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season. During this period, the player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs, subject to the temporary exceptions below. As an exception to this rule, a player moving between two clubs belonging to associations with overlapping seasons (i.e. start of the season in summer/autumn as opposed to winter/spring) may be eligible to play in official matches for a third club during the relevant season, provided he has fully complied with his contractual obligations towards his previous clubs..
i. During the following period, players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs and are eligible to play official matches for three clubs during one season:
a) for associations following a dual-year calendar: the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons; and
b) for associations following a single-year calendar: the 2020 and 2021 seasons”.
So under FIFA’s rules, Aubameyang, who is unhappy at Chelsea, can only leave London to return to Barça. An option that the player would welcome and that the Catalans might consider if Memphis Depay leaves during the January window - either to sign for Atlético or another club.
FIFA made a temporary exemption to the rules during the pandemic to alleviate the effects of Covid-19 on competitions.
Chicharito’s case, an exception
There was one high-profile exemption - Javier Hernández Chicharito was able to play for three different clubs in the 2019-2020 campaign . The Mexican played official matches for West Ham, Sevilla and the Los Angeles Galaxy on the condition that the MLS was considered a spring tournament, as specified by the regulations of the international football’s governing body.