Barcelona Barred From Signing New Players Until 2016

Soccer behemoth FC Barcelona will continue to fight a ban that was imposed after the club was found to have breached rules in connection with signing underage players. The club plans an appeal to the highest authority.

Spanish football giant FC Barcelona will be banned from signing new players until January, 2016 after the world governing body, FIFA, rejected the club's appeal.







The Catalan side was slapped with the transfer ban in April 2014, after the club was found to have violated rules in connection with the signing of international players under age 18. The club immediately appealed the ban.







"The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeals lodged by Barcelona and the Royal Spanish Football Federation, and to confirm in their entirety decisions rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in the respective cases relating to the protection of minors," FIFA said in a statement.







"As such, Barcelona is to serve a transfer ban that will see the club prevented from registering any players at both national and international level for two complete and consecutive transfer periods."







The ban was put on hold while Barcelona was making its appeal, and the club was able at that time to sign Uruguayan striker - and serial biter - Luis Suarez, as well as German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.







Barcelona said it would continue to fight the ban and was planning a final appeal to the highest authority, the Court of Arbitration for Sport.







"FC Barcelona may not in any way share a resolution that is an affront to the spirit of our youth academy Masia, a world renowned example of academic, human and sporting education."







The Spanish soccer season gets underway this Saturday, with Barcelona taking on Elche.







bw/glb (AP, dpa)