Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid may face a year-long ban on registering new players due to irregularities in signing minors, according to a report by Spanish radio station Cadena SER.
This situation is similar to the one Barcelona faced a year ago, resulting in their current ban from registering players. Barcelona's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was unsuccessful, but it delayed the application of the ban, allowing them to sign players like Luis Suarez.
Both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid could potentially appeal the decision through the same route as Barcelona. A FIFA spokesperson stated,
We are not in a position to comment on any proceedings that are ongoing. No further information can be provided for the time-being.
In January, Real Madrid confirmed that FIFA had requested information about 51 players in their youth system. Additionally, Cadena SER reported that Real Madrid's busy January transfer window may have been in anticipation of a potential ban.
During the January transfer window, Real Madrid signed several players, including Norwegian prodigy Martin Odegaard, Marco Asensio, and Brazilian under-21 international Lucas Silva. The club also announced the upcoming arrival of Porto right-back Danilo for a fee of 31.5 million euros.
FIFA rules prohibit the signing of foreign players under 18, except in specific circumstances: if the player's parents relocate for non-football reasons, if the player is between 16 and 18 and the transfer occurs within the EU or EEA, or if the player lives within 100 kilometers of the club's headquarters.
