According to the Spanish publication AS, an announcement from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Barcelona’s appeal of their FIFA-imposed transfer ban has been delayed after the court requested further documentation from the Catalan club.
It was believed the CAS were prepared to hand down a decision on Barcelona’s appeal before Christmas, but that announcement has been pushed back.
In April, following a FIFA investigation centered on several players who were registered and played between 2009 and 2013, Barcelona and the Spanish football federation were found guilty of a serious infringement of the rules in relation to ten players.
FIFA fined Barcelona and barred the club from making transfers for the next two transfer windows. The La Liga side appealed that decision and the embargo was temporarily suspended while FIFA heard their case.
During that time, Barcelona were able to sign Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen – to name a few – before FIFA ultimately upheld the decision to bar the club for two transfer windows.
Barcelona then took its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a last ditch effort to see the decision from world football’s governing body lessened or overturned.
It is understood that Barcelona have admitted to “inconsistencies” with their youth transfers during the time period in question. But the club believes the fine imposed by FIFA was sufficient enough punishment for their mistakes and would like the two-window transfer ban removed.
The Catalan club is “cautiously optimistic” after the CAS requested more documentation and delayed the announcement of its decision. They now hope to have an answer before the New Year and the opening of the January transfer window.
