FIFA announced today that FC Barcelona was banned from signing any new players for 14 months after being found guilty on Wednesday of repeatedly breaching transfer regulations in signing youth players to its renowned La Masia program. Barcelona contest the ruling and are planning to appeal.
FIFA announced that 10 signing by Barcelona had breached the rules in place for signing underage international players, and fined the club 450,000 Swiss francs ($509,000). Barcelona was also given 90 days to normalize the situation.
The sanction which covers the summer and January transfer windows, followed a year long investigation into Barcelona’s signing of players under the age of 18 from 2009 to 2013 has left Barcelona banned.
The case is not related to Barcelona’s signing of Neymar, for which they were charged with fraud by the Spanish Tax Authorities, and pled guilty. FIFA continues to investigate that case and further sanctions could be possible.
“Ever since FIFA opened the case the players’ licenses were cancelled and they have not participated in any official games,” Barcelona said in a statement. The club also blamed the Spanish and Catalan football federation, along with FIFA, and defended their La Masia youth program as “an example” of social responsibility in educating young players.
“These players have all been given the option to remain with the club despite their licenses being revoked,” the statement added.
FIFA has fined The Spanish Football Federation 500,000 Swiss francs ($565,500) for their actions in approving and registering the transfers.
FIFA rulings indicate that international transfer of players under the age of 18 can only go through if their parents move to the country for non-football reasons. Players between 16 and 18 can move within Europe if certain conditions are met. Players living within 50 miles of the border being crossed are also able to move.
The punishment, which prevents Barcelona from signing any players until the summer of 2015, leaves recent agreements with Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Croatian teenager Alen Halilovic to join the club in July in limbo.
Barcelona will also need to improve its backline with the announcement that Carlos Puyol will leave the club this summer.
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Main Photo Credit: Oh-Barcelona.com via Wiki Commons
