FIFA put Barca transfer ban on hold
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E-mail Xinhua, April 23, 2014
FC Barcelona will be able to make signings this summer after the President of the FIFA Appeals Committee, Larry Mussenden confirmed on Wednesday that the governing body of World football had "suspended" the sanction hanging over the club.
Barca were stunned at the start of the month when FIFA announced they would not be able to sign any new players for two transfer windows because they had broken rules on signing under-age players.
That would have effectively meant the reigning Spanish champions would not have been able to buy any new players until the start of July 2015.
Barcelona strongly defended their youth system and immediately launched an appeal against the ban and in a communique posted on its official website on Wednesday, FIFA announced that in the face of the "the complexity of the matter, the start date of the next registration period - 1 July 2014 - and the fact that the FIFA Appeal Committee does not seem in a position to take a decision on the main issue early enough so that an eventual appeal of the club against its decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport would still be decided before the beginning of the next registration period," the sanction is to be suspended until Barca' s appeal has been heard.
This does not mean that Barca will escape the sanction, but it does mean the club will be able to make much needed signings over the summer. The club has already signed Croatian teenager Alen Halilovic at an initial price of 1.8 million euros from Dinamo Zagreb, while Ter Stegan is thought to have agreed terms to replace goalkeeper, Victor Valdes, who announced over a year ago he was leaving Barca at the end of his current contract.
Barcelona also need to sign at least one central defender, probably a right back and a central midfielder and could be in the market for a striker if they decide to sell winger, Alexis Sanchez.
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