Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid, Valencia CF and Rayo Vallecano are under investigation for signing ‘illegal’ minors.

Children down to the age of 10 will be required to have an international transfer certificate in the future. The International Federation of Professional Footballers, FIFPro, doubts that this will close the loopholes for the trade of minors in international top football.

CAS has dismissed FC Barcelona’s transfer ban appeal and confirmed that the club has breached the rules regarding protection of minors. The verdict may be a step against the use of underage footballers.

The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeal lodged by FC Barcelona and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and confirm the sanctions laid out in April for breaches related to the international transfer and registration of under-age players.

Through his organisation Foot Solidaire, Jean-Claude Mbvoumin has dedicated more than 14 years of his life to the fight against illegal trafficking of young African footballers. It is a fight that is far from over – and one that FIFA recently brought to light through the sanctioning of FC Barcelona and the club’s exploitation of young players.

While parents largely support the element of competition in sport as an educational tool, the vast majority of children are far less enthusiastic, says a new British study among schoolchildren and their parents.

Due to ‘the complexity of the matter’, FIFA has suspended the transfer ban it issued on Spanish football club FC Barcelona earlier this month for the trade of under-age players.

UPDATED: FIFA has punished FC Barcelona for trading children. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The trade of minors is standard practice in European football – and has been for years. Now, for the first time since the sanctions against the Spanish club were issued, FIFA responds to enquiries regarding the case.