FIFA has imposed a year-long transfer ban on Barcelona for breaching its rules on the transfer of players aged under 18.The Spanish club has been sanctioned for breaking the rules in the case of 10 minors and been punished with a transfer embargo for two transfer windows and a fine of 450,000 Swiss francs.The Spanish FA has also been fined for rule breaches in terms of registering the players and fined 500,000 Swiss francs.FIFA said in a statement: "FC Barcelona has been found to be in breach of article 19 of the regulations in the case of 10 minor players and to have committed several other concurrent infringements in the context of other players."The disciplinary committee regarded the infringements as serious and decided to sanction the club with a transfer ban at both national and international level for two complete and consecutive transfer periods, together with a fine of 450,000 Swiss francs."

Additionally, the club was granted a period of 90 days in which to regularise the situation of all minor players concerned."The sanctions follow investigations conducted by FIFA's transfer matching system officials into under-18 players who were registered and participated in competitions with the club between 2009 and 2013.FIFA's rules state international transfers of minors are only permitted under limited circumstances, and have to be ratified by FIFA's players' status committee.The FIFA statement added: "The disciplinary committee emphasised that the protection of minors in the context of international transfers is an important social and legal issue that concerns all stakeholders in football."The committee highlighted that while international transfers might, in specific cases, be favourable to a young player's sporting career, they are very likely to be contrary to the best interests of the player as a minor."Young football players are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse in a foreign country without the proper controls.

This particular fact makes the protection of minors in football by the sport's governing bodies, especially by FIFA, even more important."The Spanish FA, which violated article 19 of the regulations regarding the first registration of the players, has been given a period of one year in to "regularise their regulatory framework and existing system concerning the international transfer of minors in football".Barcelona will almost certainly appeal against the transfer ban, which has cast a shadow of doubt over moves already agreed for Borussia Dortmund keeper Marc-Andre ter Stergen and Croatian 17-year-old Alen Halilovic, who turns 18 in June.Barcelona have a trio of youth players from South Korea, including much-sought after 15-year-old striker Lee Seung Woo, plus other players from Africa.FIFA only allows international youth transfers when one of three situations apply: the player's parents have moved country for their own, non-related reasons; the move takes place within the European Union if a player is aged between 16 and 18; or the player's home is less than 50 kilometres from the national border being crossed.

Source: http://sport.uk.msn.com/football/barca-handed-one-year-transfer-ban

Been awhile since i've been here but found this today and figured i'd post it wonder if that ban will get overturned.

Good news, evidence that Barcelona cheating on and off the pitch!

I had no ideas things like these stuff existed, banning clubs from participating in the transfer-window.
It will most likely get overturned since Barcelona are a huge club.

Another question then. What will happen to Lee Seung-Woo and is he one of the reasons Barcelona are in this situation?

This is just fantastic competition-wise for La Liga and Europe. F*cking fantastic!

Halelujah! About time the FIFA stops kissing the asses of La Liga teams. The best part is that they charged the Spanish FA that was copperaitng with Barca. It is unfortunate but rules are rules!

well in contradiction, Barca is one of the very very few TOP CLASS clubs that succeed by their own home-grown players... while all the other oil-mafia-money clubs are bashing them :D

^lmao came in to say this. They produce good enough players anyway. One of the only things I admire Barca for.

If their appeal fails, think of the impact this will have! No Ter Stegen, no new CB, no signings at all! In fact, they'll be desperate to keep Puyol and Valdes for another season! This could turn out to be Barcelona's biggest setback in years if the ban is permitted in the end.

Looks like defense and GK will concede at least 3 goals each match with no new buys.

hahaha what a shame uefalona they should be banned from european competitions for a decade.

@tuan

Are you sure , you read this article ? Barcelona most likely been doing this for quite sometime and just now they got caught . Now that also questions their academy to which I myself had admiration , but after learning this news , I am going to be skeptical .

well it's cool that they are winning thanks to their academy but if their academy is doing shady stuff, it's not that honorable anymore.

The Barcelona hate and envy in this forum is incredible. This wouldn't just be bad for Barca, it'd be bad for La Liga and CL.
Pinto is a proven capable goalkeeper hence all his performances or barca in copa del Rey and Valdes absences. Barca this Eason haven't got a CB and have still performed up to standards.
This would not set back Barcelona seeing how they've handled this season and next season would be the same. Tata would have his work cut out and it would only mean barca will come out even stronger when they can purchase a CB a goalkeeper.

Wait so if a player wants to leave Barça, he cannot?

^Fabregas isn't coming back, ikoiko... It's time to wake up from that silly dream...

(LOL)

@Vendetta lol, that is a serious question. Does this transfer ban prohibit outgoing transfers as well?

Ah no guys, Ter Stegen deal can still be done. The ban is on next January and summer 2015.

kinda deserved, Barca is like the city of teen players, they steel players from other teams with wages they cant say no to and then they say the players are a barca product when the club that had the player for lets say 15 years done all the job in creating the pkayer, so Barca is like city/psg in a sense..

Valencia has feelt this with many talents but it went to far a few years ago and we have stepped down our fot saying "no mas!"

lollllll i wonder if people are still gna say FIFAlona and uefalona after this, fucking idiots, funny thing is all clubs do this, it just happened that barca got caught for it. If they did an investigation on all the big clubs the past 5 years i wonder how many bans would be handed out :D

Bitchlona come off a piece and kiss your ass now get your trouble cause of cheating and diving and the better than club word WTF? Any club can beat you barcelona. and you get punisment about this also and dont be show off club!!

@Marcus: that's called Scouting, they search around for young talent, buy them out and train them to be great. from young talent to great professional players IS THE REAL JOB, actually this is the hardest part, part that make the player who they are after 18.

Even if they bought all of their young stars via scouting I wouldn't have 1 bit problem with that. Every academy does that and Manchester United does it always. It is way way better than buying all the already-top-star players and become a big club.

How many home-grown (or just even close to that) top star players Chelsea have? almost none now, how many Manchester United has? almost none, how many Barca has? almost all of their team. So all the hater please, be fair....

Their problems is not the academy, their problem is they tried to sneak through the law (for various reasons, money etc...) and got punished. Pity though, it would be bad for them and it would certainly be bad for Spanish football.