Alvarez left Atletico Madrid fans offside during the summer after speaking in an interview of his desire to "fulfil a dream" of playing for Barcelona, prompting Barca to allegedly approach the 26-year-old about an interest in joining.
Atletico accused Barcelona of approaching Alvarez without first notifying Atletico of their intention in writing, submitting an official complaint to the Spanish governing body (RFEF) and FIFA in response.
RFEF found Barcelona guilty of contravening Article 133 of the RFEF disclipinary code, which specifically concerns "a failure to comply with orders, instructions, agreements, or regulatory obligations".
"A club wishing to sign a professional footballer must notify the club with which the player is currently registered in writing of its intention before entering into negotiations with the player," it states.
It's the second time in seven years that Barcelona have been fined for breaching Article 133, having been fined a paltry €300 after being found guilty of approaching Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann without proper notification.
The €600 is less than what Alvarez could be earning every 30 minutes as an Atletico player based on his estimated gross fixed salary of €14.6 million per year (€40,000 per day).
Alvarez had been routinely booed by Atletico supporters throughout the season, but the relationship appears to be on the mend after his match-winning goal against Deportivo A Coruna at the weekend was met with a standing ovation before Alvarez apologised for his comments and reaffirmed his commitment to the Atletico faithful.
"It was a mistake," Alvarez said of the comments.
"I understand why the fans are angry. If I were a fan, I'd be angry too.
"Especially given how they've supported me since I arrived."
The announcement of the €602 fine was met with humour and ridicule across social media, given Barcelona's estimated net worth of €6.5 billion according to American business magazine Forbes, with many supporters playfully offering to personally cover the fine given its modest size.
"They can make that back on a Clasico ticket," said one pro-Barcelona podcast on social media website X.
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
