Baku, January 14, AZERTAC
Spanish giants Real Madrid and their city rivals Atletico have been banned from signing players for two transfer windows for breaching FIFA regulations related to buying players under the age of 18, according to Russia Today. The ban, which applies only to registering new players and not on releasing players, will apply for the next two transfer windows – the summer 2016 and January 2017 windows. The ban does not apply to the current January 2016 transfer period.
The official FIFA statement reads: "The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned Spanish clubs Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid for breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18. The two clubs were found to have violated several provisions concerning the international transfer and first registration of minor players as well as other relevant provisions with regard to the registration and participation of certain players in competitions."
Additionally, Atletico and Real have been fined $900,000 and $360,000 respectively, as well as given a 90-day grace period to bring the registration status of all under-18 players at the clubs in line with FIFA regulations.
The two clubs have been under investigation since last year after FIFA began looking into the transfer of youth players between 2005 and 2014.
