Man City is the subject of a complaint to FIFA after being accused of the attempted "trafficking" of a teenager signed this summer, according to Nicholas Godden of the LONDON TIMES. If upheld, it "could carry similar sanctions to those imposed on Barcelona, who recently served a ban on registering new players." The complaint, made by Argentine club Vélez Sarsfield, "relates to the signing of Benjamín Garré, the teenage midfielder who joined Manchester City when he turned 16 in July." Vélez claims that Man City "acted immorally by making an approach for Garré when he was just 15" and said the transfer breaks FIFA rules on the signing of int'l players. There "are restrictions in place that prevent clubs from signing foreign players under the age of 18." Vélez President Raul Gámez said, "Never have I experienced such an immoral act." The club said that Man City "made a proposal in June, the month before Garré’s 16th birthday," which included payments of almost £1M ($1.2M) based on appearances. In a statement Gámez added, "They offered money to take a 15-year-old child who is in the middle of his stage of development. We don’t know what they offered the father and the child in order to convince them" (LONDON TIMES, 9/22). In London, Jack Austin wrote Barcelona was "hit with a two window transfer ban for breaching this," which it served last season, while Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid have also been hit with the ban for the next two windows, although they are appealing the decision. Vélez says the proposal was signed by Man City Dir of Football Txiki Begiristain.
Man City denies any wrongdoing and said that Garré holds an Italian passport which, under FIFA rules, "allows players from the EU to sign a professional contract on their 16th birthday" (INDEPENDENT, 9/22). ESPN.com reported Gamez, speaking to Argentina's Gol de Vestuario, "linked the exodus of several of Velez's youth players," including Garré, to the "current problems in the Argentina FA." He said, "We had a youth player stolen from us. While AFA keeps messing around, we will continue to be without protection" (ESPN.com, 9/22).
