FIFA ban Atletico Madrid from transfer market for 18 months

Atletico Madrid, along with city rivals, Real Madrid have been handed 18 month transfer bans for "breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18." Neither team will be allowed to register players for the next two transfer windows despite being allowed to buy and sell players during that time.

It is the same ban that was inflicted upon Barcelona, which concluded at the beginning of this transfer market. During the ban they were able to purchase Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan but were unable to register them in competitions until the winter transfer window opened in January.

In FIFA's statement, they said:

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"). The transfer ban, which does not affect the current registration period at all, given that it opened before the decisions were notified, applies to each club as a whole - with the exception of the women's, futsal and beach soccer teams - and does not prevent the release of players.

This does not come as a surprise as the transfer ban had been expected for quite some time - we even wrote about it in-depth. Atletico were active in last summer's transfer window and could purchase a few more players this winter and opt to send them on loan in order to ensure that the future of the club, after 18 months, remains consistent with the growth we have seen over the last few years under Diego Simeone.

They have been linked with Andrija Živković and could close this deal in the next few weeks.