FIFA rejects Barca’s appeal against transfer ban

FIFA has rejected Barcelona’s appeal against a transfer ban that would unable the club to sign players until January 2016 once the current transfer window shuts.

The Spaniards were given the 14-month ban after being found to have breached rules on signing international players under the age of 18. The ban had been suspended after Barca appealed, allowing them to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool.

Barca will now take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The ban will start in the next transfer window, early next year, which means that their summer acquisitions would be unaffected. And the Catalan club could, if they wanted, sign more players before the current transfer window ends on 31 August, The BBC reported.

In a statement, Barca said that it would continue defending its interests before the highest sporting authority, in this case the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Barca added that the punishment was an affront to the spirit of their world renowned academy La Masia, which is regarded as being the foundation of the club’s success in recent years.

FIFA has also ordered the Spanish club to pay a fine of 4,50,000 Swiss Francs and have been told by the world football governing body to regularise the situation of all minor players concerned.

A FIFA statement said that Barca is to serve a transfer ban, which will see the club prevented from registering any players at both national and international level for two complete and consecutive transfer periods.