‘Unjust’ was Luis Enrique’s honest assessment of FIFA’s decision to turn down the appeals of Real Madrid and Atletico against a transfer ban.
As pleasing as it must be for the Barcelona boss to see his rivals squirm, he only knows too well the effect that two transfer windows without the ability to sign new players can have.
There does appear to be some solidarity among La Liga clubs over this issue. Misery does love company after all. And with more bans rumoured to be on the way for Spanish sides, future discussion or changes on this law could be sparked.
In Real’s case, they feel they have a solid defence against the ban and point to Zinedine Zidane’s two sons – who are embroiled in the scandal – as proof. Atleti, meanwhile, have hired experts to plead their case. Both will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, hoping to drag this out until the New Year at least.
But with second appeal unlikely to be successful and the process likely to be wrapped up before the turn of the year, the Madrid neighbours may have to cope without registering new players until January 2018. But it’s unlikely to prove too great a challenge to either.
Neither will back the other up, but they are on the same side and will endure the ban with help from Barca, who will provide the blueprint for success. To them it proved a minor annoyance, rather than a serious debilitation. After all, the Catalans would go on to win the treble that very season.
Of course, when you’re starting off with one of the best squads ever assembled, things are a little less tricky. And a similar rule applies to Champions League finalists Real and Atletico.
Aside from another dedicated defensive midfielder to cover Casemiro, Real have around two players for every position. And as Atletico have demonstrated in the past few seasons, their ranks are also fraught with quality.
Los Blancos have started to place a greater emphasis on youth, with Lucas Vazquez, Marco Asensio, Alvaro Morata all becoming first-teamers this year, but both Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric will be 33 by January 2018.
Atletico do have some, let’s say, more experienced players in their ranks. The likes of Fernando Torres, Tiago Mendes, Gabi Fernandez, Augusto Fernandez, Juanfran Torres and Filipe Luis will be well into their thirties by the time 2018 rolls around, with Tiago being as old as 37, and without the ability to recruit, clubs will be reticent to move players on.
Given their high-intensity game, fresh, young legs are never a bad thing, which could bring about greater use of academy prospects. The very thing which saw them banned in the first place could play a role in continued success for these clubs over this period. In addition, both have a number of loanees who could be recalled and slotted in where necessary.
Of course, the ‘transfer ban’ is more of a ‘registration ban’. Barca still forked out for Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal while interdicted, but they could not play for the duration of the ban, thus the two sides can still compete for the world’s greatest talents if they wish.
The respective fines of €330,000 and €825,000 for Real and Atletico are a relative drop in the ocean for the two footballing giants. Again, the ban is an inconvenience, but don’t expect it to slow either down.
