Barcelona have labelled the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to uphold a transfer ban on the club "completely disproportionate" – and vowed to exhaust all avenues in an effort to have the ruling overturned.
The Catalan giants were sanctioned by FIFA for signing underage players from outside of Spain.
Barcelona appealed the original decision, and the subsequent delay allowed them to sign the likes of Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic.
But CAS have found no reason for the ban to be overturned, and Barcelona must now wait until the January 2016 transfer window before they can add to their squad again.
“FC Barcelona wishes to state, with all due respect for the sports authorities, that it totally disagrees with the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced today to confirm the sanction originally imposed by FIFA as a consequence of the alleged breach of regulations on the international transfer of minor footballers,” a statement on Barcelona’s website said.
“FC Barcelona considers the sanction to be completely disproportionate as it supposes an excessive punishment for the Club, when considering its trajectory and the circumstances of this specific case.
“The Club shall proceed by studying and evaluating the different legal options available, among others the possibility of appealing against the CAS arbitration to the Swiss Federal Courts.”
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