FIFA fines RFEF over Madrid, Atletico breaches

FIFA has fined the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) 220,000 Swiss francs (€203,000) for allowing Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid to breach rules relating to the registration of international players under the age of 18.

The Madrid clubs will serve player registration bans during both 2017 transfer windows after appeals against sanctions imposed for multiple rule breaches by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee were rejected last month.

Madrid and Atleti are taking their cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but FIFA has now seen fit to punish their national governing body for its part in the violations, with the RFEF also given a six-month deadline to bring its regulatory framework in line with present global norms.

A statement from FIFA read: “The RFEF was found to have violated several provisions concerning the international transfer and first registration of minor players.

“The RFEF was sanctioned with a fine of CHF 220,000 and granted an additional deadline of six months in order to regularise its relevant regulatory framework and the existing system concerning the international transfer of minors in football within the country. In addition, the RFEF was issued with a warning and a reprimand in accordance with articles 13 and 14 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

“The decision was made based following investigations initially conducted by FIFA Transfer Matching System GmbH (FIFA TMS) and subsequently by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. The investigations concerned minor players who were involved with and participated in competitions with the clubs Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF over various periods between 2007 and 2014 (Atletico de Madrid) and between 2005 and 2014 (Real Madrid).”

The RFEF was previously sanctioned after Barcelona fell foul of the same laws and could not register new players for the duration of 2015.