Madrid Clubs Refute Transfer Ban Report

Spanish capital city clubs Atletico Madric and Real Madrid have refuted claims that they are about to be served a transfer ban by FIFA in light of local media’s reports.According to ‘El Larguero’- a radio programme on Cadena SER- world football’s governing body are poised to stop Real and Atletico from signing players during the next two transfer dispensations for signing players below the age of 18.

The Fifa’s youth transfer policy prohibits teenage minors from entering into contractual agreement except in certain predetermined situations.

El Larguero also claimed president of the Spanish Football Feration (RFEF) Angel Maria Villar had dialogued with president Sepp Blatter in an attempt to avoid suspension, but to no avail.

But both clubs in a statement released this afternoon have debunked suggestions of any impending suspension as false, with a spokesman from reigning La Liga champions, who are reportedly going to be the first to be notified saying: “We have no information regarding that. We collaborated with Fifa in the investigation at all times.”

Real said in a separate statement: “That said information is completely false, as demonstrated by the fact that the Spanish Football Federation has spoken to different media outlets to refute the claims that Real Madrid is implicated in any kind of irregular activity when it comes to signing minors.”

Revelations about Fifa’s probe of reigning European and Spanish champions over a possible breach of statutes regarding the transfer of minors surfaced in late January, when the former had also dismissed the claims.

“The club has always scrupulously adhered to the FIFA regulations,” the Real statement continued, adding: “Real Madrid is once again saddened by these reports, some of which are intended to cause harm, the only aim of which are to implicate the club in supposed infractions that have not been committed.”

La Liga leaders Barcelona are currently unable to sign a player until January 2016 as they were ducked with a 14-month ban in April last year for signing players under the age of 18 following court cases which lasted over year. Their appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport failed.

Real further dismissed any impending sanction as “hypothetical” bearing on the numbers of recent signings at the Estadio Santiago Bernebeu.

Real signed Martin Ogaard, Marco Asensio and Lukas Silva in January, before finalising a move for Danilo from FC Porto- all four transfers which are said to have cost over €50m.

“Ther is no relationship between the signing of players and their subsequent inscription, which is what FIFA prohibits,” the Madrid Giants stressed.