Spain’s El Confidencial reported Thursday afternoon that the proposed transfer bans for both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have now been confirmed. The two clubs from the capital were in trouble for recruiting minors against FIFA regulations, in a similar situation to the one Barcelona faced.
El Confidencial tweeted the update, placing quite some importance on it.
URGENTE: Confirmadas las sanciones de dos mercados sin fichar para Real Madrid y Atlético por la contratación de menores
— EC Deportes (@ECdeportes) September 8, 2016
Neither club will be able to register players in the January 2017 window or the following summer window.
It’s good news for other clubs looking to buy the world’s best talent, those who don’t happen to play for either Madrid team, because there’s now less competition.
When Manchester United, Manchester City and other big Premier League spenders are looking to buy next summer, they can do so knowing Florentino Perez could do little about it.
It wouldn’t stop a club signing Antoine Griezmann, because the player has a release clause and if he’s to leave Atletico it’ll be for that clause and nothing less.
FIFA have since released the following statement confirming the ban is confirmed, after the clubs lost their appeals:
‘The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeals lodged by Spanish clubs Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid and to confirm in their entirety the decisions rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in the respective cases relating to the protection of minors.
As such, both clubs are to serve a transfer ban that prevents them from registering any players at national and international level for the next two complete and consecutive registration periods for breaching articles 5, 9, 19 and 19bis as well as annexes 2 and 3 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (the “Regulations”). The transfer ban applies to each club as a whole – with the exception of the women’s, futsal and beach soccer teams – and does not prevent the release of players.
Additionally, Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid have been fined CHF 900,000 and CHF 360,000 respectively, while both clubs have been issued with a reprimand and a warning and given 90 days in which to regularise the situation of all minor players concerned.’
