Barcelona Barred From Signing Players in 2015 Transfer Window as FIFA Rejects Club’s Appeal

By John Santisteban

Aug 20, 2014 02:27 PM EDT

FC Barcelona will not be allowed to sign any player in 2015 after FIFA announced that the club's appeal on their transfer ban was rejected.

FIFA announced in April that Barcelona will be unable to make moves for two consecutive transfer windows for numerous violations of the youth transfer regulations. Barcelona lodged an appeal, which was rejected by the world governing body.

"The FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to reject the appeals lodged by Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Real Federacion Espanola de Futbol (RFEF) and to confirm in their entirety the decisions rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in the respective cases relating to the protection of minors," FIFA said in a statement.

"FC Barcelona is to serve a transfer ban which will see the club prevented from registering any players at both national and international level for two complete and consecutive transfer periods, starting with the next registration period," FIFA added.

The sanction was supposed to take in effect this summer, but FIFA agreed to suspend the ban until the result on Barcelona's appeal is released, giving the Spanish club the opportunity to strengthen their club this summer.

Barcelona went on a spending spree this summer, shedding more than 150 million Euros to acquire Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Claudio Bravo, Alen Halilovic, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Thomas Vermaelen, Alen Halilovic and Jeremy Mathieu.

Barcelona are not ready to raise the white flag yet as the club announced their plan to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport - the same body that lifted a transfer ban on Chelsea in 2010.

"Following the resolution announced today by the FIFA Appeals Committee on violations of regulations regarding the transfer and registration of children aged under 18 years, FC Barcelona announces that it shall continue defending its interests before the highest sporting authority, in this case the Court of Arbitration for Sport," Barcelona announced on their official website.