Spanish giants Real Madrid and Atlético have been handed a massive blow today, as FIFA has decided to turn down their appeals over a transfer ban on both of the Spanish capital teams. With the appeal rejected, neither team will be able to sign new players for the next two transfer windows, in a case that resembles the transfer ban handed to Barcelona a couple of years ago.
"The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeals lodged by Spanish clubs Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid and to confirm in their entirety the decisions rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in the respective cases relating to the protection of minors,"football's governing body said in a statement.
"As such, both clubs are to serve a transfer ban that prevents them from registering any players at national and international level for the next two complete and consecutive registration periods. The transfer ban applies to each club as a whole -- with the exception of the women's, futsal and beach soccer teams -- and does not prevent the release of players," the press release adds.
Aside from their transfer bans, Atletico and Real Madrid were handed fines of CHF 960,000 & CHF 360,000 respectively, while they were given 90 days to set things straight regarding the young players involved in this case.
Real Madrid published a statement on the club's website, revealing they will appeal this decision.
Atlético Madrid has also issued a press release on their website, revealing that the club hired a group of attorneys in International Law to protect the team's interests.
