Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid have been banned from registering players for two transfer windows for "breaching rules on signing non-Spanish under-18 players," FIFA said on Thursday, according to Iain Rogers of REUTERS. The sanction means that the clubs, "currently third and first respectively in Spain's top division," will not be able to register any new signings until July '17 "once the present transfer window closes at the end of the month." FIFA added that Atlético was fined 900,000 Swiss francs ($900,000) and Real 360,000 Swiss francs. Barcelona, standing second in La Liga, was handed a "similar penalty" in April '14 for "breaking the same set of regulations." Barcelona took its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where it was rejected, "and the ban eventually finished with the start of the current window." The two clubs were given 90 days to regularize their situation "but can continue to sell players during the ban." The probe concerned players who participated in competitions with the clubs between '07 and '14 in the case of Atlético, and between '05 and '14 in the case of Real Madrid (REUTERS, 1/14). In London, Tobias Buck reported FIFA said, "FIFA works hard to protect the rights of players under the age of 18 -- whether male or female, amateur or professional. This is done through the enforcement of regulations prohibiting the international transfer of minors, or the first registration of minors in a country other than their own, except in specific circumstances." According to the latest ranking by Deloitte, which is based on the '13-14 season, Real Madrid is the "wealthiest football club in the world," with revenues of €550M. Atlético was in 15th place, with revenues of €170M. The two clubs "have what are widely considered some of the strongest squads in European football," but the transfer ban "could prove painful all the same." In recent years, Atlético has "often been forced to let many of its best players go to wealthier clubs" in Spain and the U.K. -- which means it "needs to bring in fresh players on a regular basis" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 1/14). ESPN reported Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu "has repeatedly criticised FIFA's rules over youth transfers and said a year ago that he did not wish to see archrivals Real punished as a result" (ESPN, 1/14).
CLUBS, LFP REACT: MARCA reported Atlético "issued a statement on their website in which they have expressed their disagreement with their FIFA transfer ban." The club said, "Atlético Madrid have received the FIFA Disciplinary Committee's ruling which bans us from registering any players at national and international level for the next two complete and consecutive registration periods. ... According to the documentation received from football's world governing body, the ban is for breaching articles 5, 9, 19 and 19bis as well as annexes 2 and 3 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players. Our club does not agree with the ruling and will study all the documentation received in order to appeal against said ban" (MARCA, 1/14). MARCA reported in a separate piece Real Madrid issued a statement one year ago when it emerged that FIFA was "considering an investigation into the signing of underage players." That statement said, among other things, "Real Madrid defend the protection and the correct and healthy development of minors via its strict adherence, without exceptions, to the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, and are in complete agreement with such investigations being carried out to this end" (MARCA, 1/14). GOAL reported the Spanish Football League (LFP) has described the transfer sanctions handed to the two clubs as "disproportionate" and "excessive." Earlier on Thursday, Real Madrid and Atlético "protested their innocence and announced they will appeal against the punishments," with La Liga confirming it will stand by each team. In an official statement, La Liga said, "Following the sanction of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee to Real Madrid CF and Club Atletico de Madrid, as a result of having infringed the rules on international transfers of minors, La Liga wishes to express that Spanish football through its clubs supports the policy of protecting minors and the concern for their development and for their training. Furthermore, it also proposed to the RFEF [Royal Spanish Football Federation] an adequate system of compensation for training clubs, perfectly compatible with the development of minors" (GOAL, 1/14).
BREAKING IT DOWN: In Madrid, Joaquín Maroto wrote "here is a guide explaining what Atlético and Real Madrid can and cannot do under the constraints of the FIFA-imposed sanction."
- Signing players: Atlético and Real Madrid "can make signings and register players" until Jan. 31.
- Signings and loans: FIFA will not allow either club to "sign players today, the date the sanction was communicated, if the plan is to loan them out to other teams and then recall them in the summer or in January 2017, as the world governing body would consider this tantamount to fraud."
- Loans: Both clubs "can bring back players who were on loan at other clubs today, the date the transfer ban was announced." It has "yet to be determined if they can loan out players now and bring them back in June."
- Managerial changes: These "are allowed regardless of the sanction." Managers "are not considered signings" (AS, 1/14).
NEXT STEPS: In Barcelona, Juan Manuel Díaz reported Real and Atlético "will have to follow a similar strategy to what Barcelona did." The clubs have three days to decide if they will appeal to FIFA's Appeals Committee. Once that decision is made, they will have to pay 3,000 Swiss francs to file the appeal. After the FIFA's Appeals Committee makes its ruling, the clubs will have 21 days to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (
SPORT, 1/14).
