Thursday 8 September 2016 18:20, UK
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have lost their appeals against one-year transfer bans by FIFA for breaking rules protecting underage players.
Both clubs were punished by FIFA's disciplinary committee in January for breaching regulations governing the transfer of players under the age of 18, but appealed the decision. The bans were later frozen pending the appeals verdicts.
That appeal has been rejected meaning both clubs will be prevented from "registering any players at national and international level" in the next two transfer windows, until January 2018.
The teams can make deals to sign players but cannot register them to play.
A statement from Fifa said: "The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeals lodged by Spanish clubs Atlético 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.
"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 for breaching articles 5, 9, 19 and 19bis as well as annexes 2 and 3 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (the "Regulations")."
Real, who called the decision "profoundly unfair", responded to the news by declaring their attention to elevate the matter to the the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and will ask for their case to be addressed as soon as possible.
A statement on Real's website said: "Faced with the decision of the Appeal Committee of FIFA has released today, Real Madrid CF states the following:
"1) We regret FIFA's decision on the ground that is profoundly unfair and contrary to the most elementary principles of penal law.
"2) The club will make a corresponding appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), requesting full revocation of the same, with the full conviction of obtaining a fully favorable decision before that body.
"3) Real Madrid CF will request that the procedure is processed by way of urgency in order to obtain the termination of TAS as soon as possible."
