FIFA today April 2nd banned Spanish football giants FC Barcelona from signing players till summer 2015 over rules breach relating to the international transfer and registration of players under 18.
According to reports, the club was investigated by FIFA for 12 months over their youth recruitment policy. And after FIFA found out that the club had been engaged in illegally recruiting and importing non-Spanish minors over a four year period, the world football governing body handed out the transfer ban and also fined the club £306,000. (450,000 Swiss francs.)
FIFA also fined the Spanish FA £340,000 for allowing Barcelona to embark on a sustained and extended policy of what is viewed as child exploitation by the world governing body. Read FIFA’s statement after here