FIFA rejects Madrid & Atleti appeals

FIFA has confirmed that Real Madrid and Atletico’s appeals for their transfer bans to be revoked have been rejected.

Madrid and Atleti were initially banned from signing players for two transfer windows last January after they were found guilty of breaching rules regarding the acquisition of foreign minors, and their punishments will now stand, pending further appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeals lodged by Spanish clubs Atlético 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,” read a statement on FIFA’s official website.

“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.

“Additionally, Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid have been fined CHF 900,000 and CHF 360,000 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.

“The grounds of the decisions taken by the FIFA Appeal Committee were communicated to the parties concerned today.”

Barcelona were handed the same ban for the same offence in 2014 and subsequently could not register new players for two transfer windows until last January.

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