Fifa has thrown out an appeal by FC Barcelona and the Spanish Football Association in relation to transfer of minors.
This means Barcelona will not be able to buy or sell players until January 2016 once the current transfer dispensation is over.
The Spanish club was served a 14-month ban after being found to have breached rules relating to international transfer of minors. The Real Federacion Espanola de Futbol (RFEF) were also sanctioned for the same offence.
It was suspended- for this summer’s transfer window- after they appealed.
A statement by Fifa read: “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 (January 2015) given that the appeal of the club had been granted suspensive effect by the chairman of the Fifa Appeal Committee.”
The Catalan club will now head to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
They could add to their summer signings before the current transfer window ends on 31 August.
The club has said it would “continue defending its interest before the highest sporting authority, in this case the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
The RFEF has been given a fine of 500,000 Swiss Francs (£340,000) and told to “regularise its framework and existing system concerning the international transfer of minors in football” within a year.
