Barcelona were sent reeling on Wednesday morning, when Fifa imposed a 14-month transfer ban for breaking rules over the purchase of under-18 players.
An investigation by world football’s governing body has found the Spanish champions have breached its rules over the registration of 10 minor players, whilst they have also been adjudged to have committed “several other concurrent infringements”. The club have also been fined £305,000, but it is the transfer ban which will hit them the hardest.
Indeed, Barca have recently agreed a deal to sign German international goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen from Borussia Monchengladbach, to replace the departing Victor Valdes, and Croatian youngster Alen Halilovic of Dinamo Zagreb. Both were set to arrive at the Camp Nou in time for next season, but this ruling now places this in doubt.
Fifa said in a statement: “FC Barcelona has been found to be in breach of article 19 of the regulations in the case of 10 minor players and to have committed several other concurrent infringements in the context of other players. The disciplinary committee regarded the infringements as serious and decided to sanction the club with a transfer ban at both national and international level for two complete and consecutive transfer periods, together with a fine of 450,000 Swiss francs. Additionally, the club was granted a period of 90 days in which to regularise the situation of all minor players concerned.”
Fifa prohibits the international transfers of players under the age of 18, unless the two clubs involved are within the European Union and the parents of the player in question move to the country in which the buying club are located for reasons other than football. The Catalonian giants currently have a number of promising young players from South Korea, such as Lee Seung Woo, plus several other under-18 talents from Cameroon.
The Spanish Football Federation has also been sanctioned by Fifa for the same breaches. It is expected that Barcelona will appeal the decision to ban them from the transfer market via the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and may take comfort in the fact that Chelsea managed to overturn a punishment for similar offences over Gael Kakuta back in 2009.
