Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid fail to overturn transfer bans
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Updated 08/09/2016 at 19:31 GMT
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will be banned from signing players in the next two transfer windows after FIFA rejected their appeals.
Zinedine Zidane, Diego Simeone
Image credit: Reuters
The Spanish giants were sanctioned over the signing of foreign players aged under 18.
Both clubs, who have denied wrongdoing, have also been issued with a reprimand and a warning and given 90 days in which to regularise the situation of all minor players concerned. They are expected to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Real were fined 360,000 Swiss francs (£278,000), while Atletico were ordered to pay 900,000 Swiss francs (£695,000).
Barcelona were banned for a similar offence in 2014, although they made a mockery of their 14-month wait by registering 77 players immediately after it was lifted.
Should any further appeals prove unsuccessful, Real and Atletico Madrid will be unable to sign new players until January 2018. They can still sell and release players.
FIFA'S STATEMENT
Both clubs are to serve a transfer ban that prevents them from registering any players at national and international level for the next two complete and consecutive registration periods," football's governing body said in a statement. The transfer ban applies to each club as a whole – with the exception of the women's, futsal and beach soccer teams – and does not prevent the release of players.
FIFA said that its rules, which ban international transfers of under-18 players except in certain circumstances, existed to "protect minors who move to other countries and prevent soccer clubs from exploiting them."
FIFA says that, in the past, trafficking of young players has left to some minors being virtually abandoned on the streets of foreign countries.
"Although FIFA's approach may appear harsh in an individual case, it is only by enforcing the rules consistently and strictly that the abuses of the past can be avoided and a proper and safe development of minor players secured," FIFA added.
RELIEF ACROSS EUROPE?
Talk has simmered about a bumper signing announcement at Real Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Luca Modric and Toni Kroos all expected to pen new deals. This latest development only cements their indispensable status – and the same is true for Atletico’s players. Forget talk of Antoine Griezmann leaving next summer.
Barcelona are the obvious beneficiaries, but a host of other European clubs will be relieved. Chelsea can cling onto Eden Hazard for another season; David De Gea will be rooted to Manchester United’s latest project; Robert Lewandowski will continue firing in the goals in Germany.
That is, unless the CAS provides another twist - and it could, since Barcelona's similar ban was put on ice for one transfer window two summers ago pending the result of their appeal. The Catalan club failed to win their case at sport's highest court - but it scarcely mattered, since they used the stay of execution to land key players including Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic.
With additional reporting by Reuters.
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