FIFA imposes transfer ban on Real Madrid and Atletico

“The two clubs were found to have violated several provisions concerning the global transfer and first registration of minor players”, said Federation Internationale de Football Association in a statement.

The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned Spanish clubs Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid for breaches relating to the global transfer and registration of players under the age of 18.

The news comes after investigations concerning minor players who were involved and participated in competitions with the clubs between 2007 and 2014 (for Atletico) and 2005 and 2014 (for Real).

Manchester United fans have got themselves into something of a panic on Twitter after news of Real Madrid’s transfer ban – could this speed up David de Gea’s exit from Old Trafford?

The bans will not be enforced this month, but will come into play from the summer transfer window and last through the entirety of the 2016/17 season.

They have been penalised for breaking rules about worldwide transfers of minors.

The ruling, which is likely to be appealed by both clubs, means Madrid and Atletico face a race against time to strengthen their squads before it is imposed.

The web-based Transfer Matching System (TMS) provides a crucial platform to monitor the worldwide transfer market, to ensure compliance with the rules, and to promote transparency and best practice.

Barcelona recently suffered a similar sanction and signed Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan in the summer, but were unable to register them until January 2016.

Fines were also dished out to both clubs with Atletico paying 900,000 Swiss francs (£622,000), while Real were ordered to cough up 360,000 (£249,000).

The news is just the latest institutional embarassment for Real Madrid just over a week after they appointed French legend Zinedine Zidane.