By Andrew Warshaw
January 2 – Stung at having its FIFA-imposed transfer ban upheld by the highest judiciary body in sport, Barcelona have struck back by denouncing the verdict and refusing to accept what it has described as a “disproportionate” and “excessive” ruling.
Earlier this week, Barca lost its appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) against being banned from making any new signings for breaching FIFA rules over acquiring foreign under-age players.
The ruling by a three-man CAS panel came following a FIFA investigation that focused on several minors who were registered and played for Barca between 2009 and 2013.
Under FIFA rules, clubs are not allowed to sign under-18 international players unless three criteria are upheld: they are moving within the European Union; they are aged between 16 and 18 and are moving with their parents; or both club and player live within 50 kilometers of a shared national border.
Barcelona were originally handed a 14-month ban, covering two transfer periods, in April and decided to go to the CAS after an initial appeal to FIFA was rejected in August. That meant they were able to buy crucial time and completed a number of major signings including Luis Suarez and Thomas Vermaelen.
But with the mid-season winter window now open, they will be unable to add to their squad as they chase the La Liga and Champions League titles – and can’t buy any players next summer either.
In a statement, the CAS said there were no grounds to overturn the ban and that its panel “found in particular that FC Barcelona had breached the rules regarding the protection of minors and the registration of minors attending football academies. Accordingly, the FIFA decision is confirmed in full and the sanction remains in force.”
Barcelona, who were also fined $455,000, have one of the most famous and respected academies in world football and are furious with the verdict. ‘La Masia’ as their academy is known, has spawned a number of prodigious talents such as Lionel Messi, who arrived from Argentina at the age of 11.
Barca say they will now study the different legal options – possibly including the Swiss Federal Courts. In a lengthy defence of their conduct, the club said they were in fact totally in support of FIFA’s policy on the protection of minors “and the concern for the protection of their development and education.”
This, they said, had been proved by how they had acted throughout their history, “setting an example around the world for the way young footballers are schooled and educated, and the work that is done on their development.”
“FC Barcelona’s youth structure has enabled hundreds of young players to achieve their dreams and receive a decent upbringing.”
Explaining why they felt FIFA had got things radically wrong, the club statement continued: “The errors that the club might have committed, and which have been recognised and argued before the corresponding authorities are, in all cases, of an administrative nature and to a large extent have been caused by the existing conflict between the FIFA regulations and Spanish legislation, along with the club’s conviction that it was acting correctly.
“Therefore, FC Barcelona considers the sanction to be completely disproportionate as it supposes an excessive punishment for the club, when considering its trajectory and the circumstances of this specific case.”
FIFA issued a counter-statement saying the CAS had “shown clear and strong support for FIFA’s efforts to protect underage players,” but Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu (pictured) described the ruling as “beyond logic”, saying: “A great injustice has been committed today: an injustice for Barca, for all the children and parents affected by this decision, for all the Club members and for football in general.”
“FIFA and its president have to be an organisation which protects the footballing world and decisions like this distance it from this objective. We do not feel supported or protected by those people who should be doing this.
“The strict letter of the law has been followed, rather than the spirit in which it was written and a precedent which is not good for the game in general has been created – one which has attempted to stain the good name of our club.
“I wish to announce that Barca, with myself in the lead, will fight to change this regulation and improve it. I hope FIFA will show sufficient commonsense to re-write this regulation and that no other club will have to suffer this injustice.
“Despite everything, I can guarantee our members that this sanction does not endanger the sporting project at La Masia.” Bartomeu said he did not believe the transfer ban would harm Barca’s title prospects.
“On the one hand, we have a squad which offers sufficient guarantees to cover any possible needs of the first team and on the other, we have to bear in mind that the signings we made last summer to strengthen the squad were made with the possibility of this sanction in mind and to allow us to attempt to win all the possible titles we are competing for until this sanction is over.”
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