Barcelona transfer ban suspended by FIFA

On April 2, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee sanctioned FC Barcelona for breaches related to the international transfer and registration of under-age players.The sanctions included a transfer ban for two complete and consecutive transfer periods, and a fine of CHF 450,000.

FC Barcelona has lodged an appeal with the FIFA Appeal Committee along with a request that its appeal was granted suspensive effect.

According to a FIFA statement issued today, the appeal committee of the international football body has followed the request and suspended the transfer ban while the appeal is pending.

In the decision, committee chairman Larry Mussenden “took into consideration the sanctions imposed against the club, the complexity of the matter, the start date of the next registration period – 1 July 2014 – and the fact that the FIFA Appeal Committee does not seem in a position to take a decision on the main issue early enough so that an eventual appeal of the club against its decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport would still be decided before the beginning of the next registration period,” the FIFA statement says.