On 29 January 2016, FIFA’s Appeal Committee granted suspensive effect of the sanction imposed on the 14 January by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee to the Spanish teams Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid SAD. Both clubs had been banned from registering new signings for the next two transfer windows, that is, this summer 2016 and January 2017. The ruling also included a pecuniary fine of CHF 360,000 (approx. EUR 330,000) for Real Madrid and CHF 900,000 (approx. EUR 830,000) for Atlético de Madrid. All of the above were due to “breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18.”
However, the ruling object of this study is still open and pending to be resolved by FIFA’s Appeal Committee. If the decision is unfavorable to Real Madrid, it could still be appealed before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
FIFA Disciplinary Committee, 14 January 2016, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid
FIFA Appeal Committee, 29 January 2016, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid
Grounds of the ban
The investigation carried out by FIFA focused on seventy foreign underage players[1] present in different competitions in which FC Real Madrid took part over various periods between 2005 and 2014.
Due to the abuses that underage players have suffered historically and to instability in both the training and in the...
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