FC Barcelona to appeal to CAS against FIFA ban to sign new players in 2015

Barcelona (FCB).- Following the resolution announced this Wednesday by the FIFA Appeals Committee on violations of regulations regarding the transfer and registration of children aged under 18 years, FC Barcelona announced that it will continue to defend its interests before the highest sporting authority, in this case the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). On Tuesday, Barça representatives attended a hearing regarding FIFA's investigation on this issue in the organisation's headquarters in Zurich. FC Barcelona's declaration lasted four hours. The day after, the football institution issued its definitive verdict; a sanction imposed on the Catalan club which bans them from signing new players during two transfer periods.

Therefore, FC Barcelona will not be able to sign new players next winter and in the summer of 2015. In addition, FIFA imposed a 450,000 Swiss franc fine and gave Barça 90 days to regulate the registration of minors according to the organisations rules. In addition, it imposed another fine of 500,000 Swiss franc on the Spanish Football Federation for not having adapted its regulations regarding the transfer of minors to the FIFA rules.

The Catalan club stated in a press release that "FC Barcelona may not in any way share a resolution that is an affront to the spirit of our Masia, a world renowned example of academic, human and sporting education". Barça considers that FIFA is questioning its youth academy model, known as La Masia, where stars such as Leo Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández or Pep Guardiola grew up. Last spring, when the FIFA's decision was known, FC Barcelona already stressed the organsiation's contradiction to go against La Masia model on one hand and award the Ballon d'Or prize to Leo Messi on the other, who arrived at Barça's academy as kid.