Tom PowellSPANISH football champions Barcelona are reeling from the news of their 14-month transfer, as a result of singing international players younger than 18.
Fifa also fined the club 450,000 Swiss Francs- €368,980. They will not be able to operate in either of the next two transfer windows.
The Spanish Football Federation has also been fined 500,000 Swiss Francs – €409,978 – and told to ‘regularise its regulatory framework and existing system concerning the international transfer of minors in football’.
Fifa rules state players under the age of 18 are not permitted for international transfers unless certain conditions are met.
Either their parents move there for non-footballing reasons, they are from another nation within the European Union and aged between 16 and 18, or they live within 100km of the club.
A Fifa investigation discovered that Barcelona had continually broken these rules between 2009 and 2013, with 10 players involved.
The Catalan club were planning on singing at least a new goalkeeper this summer, with Victor Valdes’ contract expiring.
Meanwhile, the club is still under criminal investigation for the transfer of Brazilian striker Neymar last summer.
