By Mark Baber
January 6 – Barcelona celebrated the end of their 14-month “transfer ban” by registering 77 players across all age groups, many of whom had been signed to the club during the ban and who will now be able to play in competitive matches.
The Catalan club had the ban imposed after they were caught breaking the FIFA regulations designed to prevent trafficking of young players across borders.
Barcelona managed to minimise the effects of the ban on their first team by drawing out the appeals process and just two of the 77 new players – Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal – will be going straight into the first team squad, after having been signed last summer in the knowledge they would have to wait to play competitive matches.
The ineffectiveness of FIFA’s ban becomes clear when we consider Barca have already lifted the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup this season, have reached the round of 16 in which they play Arsenal in their quest to retain their Champions League, are just two points behind Atletico with a game in hand in their bid to retain their Spanish Liga title and play Espanyol this evening in the quarter finals in defence of their Copa del Rey title.
However, Barcelona’s B team has performed disastrously of late, being relegated to the Seconda B at the end of last season and now sitting in 18th place (out of 20) in the Sergunad B Group III. Five players will go straight intot he B squad including Jokin Ezkieta (goalkeeper, Osasuna) Moi Delgado (defender, Sevilla) Josep Miquel Fernández (midfielder, Cornella) Robert Goncalves (forward, Fluminense) and Dani Romera (forward, Almeria) .
Here is the full list of the 77 newly registered players:
Barcelona
Arda Turan (Atlético)
Aleix Vidal (Sevilla)
Barcelona B
Moisés Delgado (Sevilla Atlético)
Jokin Ezkieta (Osasuna)
Josep Miquel Fernández (UE Cornellà)
Robert Gonçalves (Fluminense)
Dani Romera (Almería)
Juvenil A
Arnau Campeny (CF Damm)
Rubén García (Elche)
Rafa Mújica (Las Palmas)
Lee Seung-woo (Joined Barcelona in 2011)
Seung Ho Paik (Joined Barcelona in 2009)
Juvenil B
Andreu Arasa (Rapitenca)
Marc Baró (La Salle)
Javier Enrique Delgado (Cornellà)
Juan Fernández (Cornellà)
Adrià Guerrero (CF Damm)
Josep Martínez (Alzira)
Mateu Jaume Morey (Mallorca)
Cadete A
Juanma Santaella (Cornellà)
Arnau Arruebo (Cornellà)
Guillem Romaguera (Mallorca)
Adrià Gómez (Jabac)
Miguel Martínez (Espanyol)
Guillem Mico (Nàstic)
Cadete B
Pau Baró (Girona)
Jaume Cuéllar (Racing Blanenc)
Anwar Mediero (Celta)
Álvaro Sainz (Zaragoza)
Antonio Sola (Zaragoza)
Infantil A
Iván Julián (Cornellà)
Aschalew Sanmartí (Cornellà)
Infantil B
Raúl García-Alejo (CF Damm)
Theo Bernardo (CF Damm)
Yago Ponce (CF Damm)
Arnau Solà (Rapitenca)
Lee dos Reis (Cornellà)
Alevín A
Pablo Pérez Gavira (Betis)
Pol Malet (CF Damm)
Alevín B
Pol Muñoz (Lleida)
Narcís Costa (Cornellà)
Gerard González (Girona)
Alevín C
Pau Fernández (Espanyol)
Alex Honrrubia (Sabadell)
Alevín D
Joan Anaya (Reus)
Iker Córdoba (Reus)
Jan Molina (Gimnàstic Manresa)
Marc Salas (Cornellà)
Benjamín A
Jan Encuentra (Tárrega)
Jon Pilar del Hoyo (Mollet)
Benjamín B
Daniel Gudjohnsen (Gavá)
Tomàs Marqués (Europa)
Sergi Sogorb (Gimnàstic Manresa)
Mateo Sciancalepore (Calafell)
Benjamín C
Pol Durán (Espanyol)
Benjamín D
Xavi Castellanos (Santboià)
Hugo Durán (Santboià)
Gilbert Jordana (Vic Riuprimer)
Joel Escaler (Gimnàstic Manresa)
Xavier Espart (Vilassar de Mar)
Jan Lagunas (Vilassar de Dalt)
Albert Navarro (CF Damm)
Gerard Valdivia (Gimnàstic Manresa)
Iker del Moral (Sant Ildefons)
Óscar Masque (Gimnàstic Manresa)
Landry Farre (Collblanc)
Benjamín E
Jaume Aghayedo (Mercantil)
Roger Casadevall (Granollers)
Pau Fernández Castellano (Santa Eulàlia)
Broulaye Chama (Sabadell)
Nuhu Fofana (La Llàntia)
Albert Vicens Gasol (Reus)
David Juan González (Cubelles)
Carlos Gutiérrez (Cubelles)
Madou Murcia (Gimnàstic Manresa)
Arnau Marés (Montgat)
Iker Rodríguez (Can Rull)
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734938832labto1734938832ofdlr1734938832owedi1734938832sni@r1734938832ebab.1734938832kram1734938832