DBU turn down Barcelona's application to establish academy in Denmark

The Danish Football Association (DBU) is keeping Barcelona away from Denmark.

On Tuesday, the DBU announced its rejection of an application from the Catalan club that sought to establish an academy near the capital city of Copenhagen. The plan was initially announced in March by Allan Simonsen, who became the first Danish player to represent Barcelona in 1979.

As translated by the Guardian, the DBU's decision was made on the grounds that "the plans conflict with the Danish regulations for the protection of children," which essentially implies that a competitive training environment such as Barcelona's would tamper with a child's well-being, happiness, and security.

Furthermore, the DBU expressed concern that the academy would lead to Danish clubs losing out on homegrown talent, saying: "We must safeguard the development of talent in Danish football."