Real Madrid, Atletico Lose Transfer Ban Appeal
**Would Not Be Eligible For Transfers Till 2018 –
World football governing body, FIFA, has turned down appeals from Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid against a one-year transfer bans for breaking rules protecting underage players.
The decision means both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will not be eligible to sign new players from now till January 2018, and have been fined £278,000 and £696,000 respectively.
The clubs contested a decision by FIFA to punish them for breaching rules over the transfer of foreign players under 18.
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The FIFA appeals committee dismissed challenges filed by both clubs after transfer embargoes were imposed in January. The bans were later frozen pending the appeals verdicts, which allowed the clubs to sign players this summer.
FIFA in a statement said: “The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeals lodged by Spanish clubs Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid and to confirm in their entirety the decisions rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in the respective cases relating to the protection of minors.
“As such, 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 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 (the ‘Regulations’).
“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.
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“Additionally, Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid have been fined 900,000 and 360,000 Swiss francs respectively, while both clubs have been issued with a reprimand and a warning and given 90 days in which to regularise the situation of all minor players concerned.”
Fifa’s investigation concerned players aged under 18 who played in competitions for Atletico between 2007 and 2014, and Real from 2005-2014.
Soon after FIFA’s verdict, the Spanish sides announced that they will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In a statement, 11-time European champions Real described the decision as “deeply unjust and contrary to the fundamental principles of disciplinary law”.
Atletico said they had already hired “a team of international experts to defend the case and protect the rights” of the club.
