The prospect of a Premier League return for Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale appears to have receded after Real Madrid were hit with a transfer ban by Federation Internationale de Football Association.
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The ban – for breaching rules on signing players under the age of 18 – could see Atletico barred from registering players after the January transfer window shuts until the summer of 2017, but Calderon played down its significance – particularly regarding Simeone’s future.
Sanchez labelled Fifa’s decision as “totally unexpected” and “absolutely unjustified”, and explained why the Madrid club believe they are innocent.
Wenger appeared to have some sympathy and suggested the punishment will be overturned.
Both clubs have strong squads as it stands but Atletico may be in a slightly better position to deal with the ban as they have spent a lot of money investing in young, talented players. “That’s what will happen”.
Atletico were also fined 900,000 Swiss francs (820,000 euros) and Real 360,000 (330,000 euros).
The statement continued: “FIFA works hard to protect the rights of players under the age of 18 – whether male or female, amateur or professional”.
“This club has never worked with the family to uproot underage players”, said Real Madrid director general Jose Angel Sanchez according to AS.
However, they are free to sign players for the remainder of the current window, which runs until the end of the month. Barcelona served a similar ban in 2015 for the same reasons.
The news is just the latest institutional embarrassment for Real Madrid, a week after they appointed French legend Zinedine Zidane. It noted that the need for the strict application of these rules had been “confirmed on various occasions” by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
“Spanish football, through their clubs, supports the policy of protecting minors, and the concern for their development and for their training”, the league said in a statement in response to FIFA’s ban on Thursday.
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Both team of Madrid will be in for a ban from registering any new players in this transfer window as they are seemingly broke some regulations. Midfielder Arda Turan and defender Aleix Vidal both signed last summer, fully aware that they wouldn’t be allowed to appear for the club until 2016.
