January 18 – The Spanish league has come out in support of Real and Atletico Madrid describing the FIFA transfer bans meted out to both of them as “disproportionate” and “excessive”.
Last week the two Madrid giants were sanctioned for breaching regulations on the acquisition of non-Spanish minors under the age of 18. The two clubs were outlawed from registering players during next summer’s window and the winter one after, following in the footsteps of Barcelona who were also handed a two-window penalty in April 2014.
Real and Atletico are free to buy and sell during the current window that runs until the end of this month but will then have their ambitions halted in their tracks while the rest of Europe’s elite carry on trading. Both have protested their innocence and announced they will appeal against the punishments, and La Liga are standing by them.
In an official statement, the league said: “Following the sanction of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to Real Madrid CF and Club Atletico de Madrid, as a result of having infringed the rules on international transfers of minors, La Liga wishes to express that Spanish football through its clubs supports the policy of protecting minors and the concern for their development and for their training.
“Furthermore, it also proposed to the RFEF [Royal Spanish Football Federation] an adequate system of compensation for training clubs, perfectly compatible with the development of minors.
“The conduct of Real Madrid CF and Club Atletico de Madrid has been always in favour of the respect, the interest and the training of the child. This has been evident in the various meetings held in recent seasons with specialists from all the clubs from La Liga in this field.
“Therefore, at La Liga, we believe that the penalty imposed is disproportionate, out of place and is an excessive punishment for both clubs based on their behaviour and the circumstances of each case.”
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