Official: Barcelona Transfer Ban Ends

The Catalans were hit with a transfer embargo by FIFA for two transfer windows but are now free to from the ban after the summer transfer window ends

Image Credit: FC Barcelona – Twitter

The summer transfer window ended on the midnight of August 31 for Spanish teams and Barcelona are no exception. This means that their transfer ban imposed by FIFA has finally come to an end and they will be able to sign and register players from the next transfer window in January 2016.

Barcelona were banned from signing players by FIFA last year for the club’s illegal dealings with the transfer of players under eighteen years of age. FIFA stated that the Catalan club will not be able to register a player for the next two transfer windows (January 2015 and Summer 2015) if at all they are able to sign.

The club made an appeal to FIFA and CAS but there appeals were duly rejected and the ban upheld, meaning Barça will have to wait until the winter transfer window of the 2015/2016 season to register new players that were signed during these windows. The funny part of this ban is that players can leave the club as it wasn’t stated that Barça can’t sell.

Moreover, it didn’t seem as if Barça were affected by the ban as they were able to win the treble in 2015 without making any major signing during the winter transfer window. The effect of the ban may likely backfire as from now as a result of the loss of star players Pedro Rodriguez and Xavi Hernandez.

Barcelona made only two signings during the window, snapping up right-wing player Aleix Vidal and midfielder/winger Arda Turan. These players cannot be registered into the team until the next transfer window in January 2016 meaning they won’t be able to feature in any official game for the Catalan Giants.

As a result of the ban, Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal are ineligible to feature for the first team, the same issue applies to other categories of the team as even the new signings for Barcelona B won’t be able to play until next year.

Officially, the transfer ban ends this summer but Barcelona are only eligible to register a new signing until a new transfer window, January 2016. By January 2016, Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal can then fully feature for the team as well as the new Barça B signings and the banned La Masia kids.

Also, Barcelona will then be able to register a player as soon as he is bought and not wait until a certain period to register him. Dynamo Kyiv’s Andriy Yarmolenko and Celta Vigo’s Nolito are rumoured targets for Luis Enrique’s team and one of them is likely to join the Catalans next year as a replacement for Chelsea’s new boy, Pedro Rodriguez.