Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid given FIFA transfer ban over youth players

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have been banned from registering new players for the next two transfer windows, FIFA has announced.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee announced that the two clubs “violated several provisions concerning the international transfer and first registration” of players under the age of 18.

The clubs were found to have breached Article 19 of FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which covers Protection of Minors, as well as Article 5 on Registration of Players and Article 9 on the requirement for an International Transfer Certificate for each signing.

They will be permitted to sign players in the current transfer window but are then set to be banned from making additions to their squads until after the 2016-17 season.

The statement from world football’s governing body added: “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, which does not affect the current registration period at all, given that it opened before the decisions were notified, 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.”

FIFA also said Atletico had been fined 900,000 Swiss francs (€822,600) and Real had been fined 360,000 Swiss francs (€329,000) and that “both clubs have been issued with a reprimand and given 90 days in which to regularise the situation of all minor players concerned.”