The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday dismissed Barcelona's appeal and upheld the transfer ban that FIFA imposed on the club for breaking rules on registering minors as youth players. “Barcelona had breached the rules regarding the protection of minors and the registration of minors attending football academies,” CAS said in a statement.
The ruling means Barcelona will be barred from signing any players in 2015, although it can still renew existing contracts, fire players and recall those loaned to other clubs, such as Denis Suarez and Gerard Deulofeu, both at Sevilla.
CAS also upheld a fine of 450,000 Swiss francs ($455,000). The club said in a statement it totally disagreed with the ruling and considered the sanction “completely disproportionate.” It said the club understood and supported FIFA's protection for minors policy and insisted it had acted correctly. Barcelona said it was evaluating legal options, including appealing the decision to the Swiss Federal Court.
The club is renowned for training and educating young players such as lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta at its la Masia academy. FIFA exerts rigid control over transferring minors across international borders. In February 2013, FIFA found that Barcelona had violated those regulations when it signed 10 players under the age of 18 to its academy. The transfer of players under 18 can only go through if their parents move to the country for non-football reasons.