FIFA Suspend Barcelona Transfer Ban

Spanish giants FC Barcelona have had their one-year transfer ban suspended whilst the club’s appeal is being investigated.

FIFA barred the Catalan club from signing any new players as punishment for breaching rules on signing young, adiposity overseas players.

Barcelona were said to have broken the rules for 10 cases of players under 18 and were handed a 14 month transfer ban and a fine of £305, sale 000.

The club appealed though and now FIFA has cleared them to sign players when the transfer window opens on July 1, pills with the case unlikely to be resolved before then.

A FIFA statement said: “The club FC Barcelona has lodged an appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee against the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee that sanctioned the club for breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18. Together with the appeal, the club requested that its appeal be granted suspensive effect.

“In this respect, the chairman of the FIFA Appeal Committee, Larry Mussenden, took into consideration the sanctions imposed against the club, the complexity of the matter, the start date of the next registration period – 1 July 2014 – and the fact that the FIFA Appeal Committee does not seem in a position to take a decision on the main issue early enough so that an eventual appeal of the club against its decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport would still be decided before the beginning of the next registration period.

“Consequently, the chairman of the FIFA Appeal Committee considered that the appeal lodged by the club is to be granted suspensive effect.”

Barcelona respond

An official statement from the club read: “FC Barcelona has responded positively to the decision announced today by FIFA’s  Appeal Committee to provisionally grant suspensive effect to the appeal made by the Club against the sanction imposed by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee.

“FC Barcelona declares its utmost respect for the resolutions pronounced by the bodies responsible for sporting justice.”

The club are expected to lose their initial appeal to FIFA and have pledged to pursue a further challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport if this happens.

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