Barcelona fail to heed warning signs as Fifa cracks down on youth transfers

Six players barred from playing for club last year

Previous CAS appeals against 'Article 19' have both failed

Less than 12 hours after Neymar kept alive their hopes of a fourth Champions League title in just nine years, Barcelona fans have been rocked by the news that the club is facing a 14-month ban on signing new players. But while officials have insisted they have been "caught by surprise", the reality is they should have seen it coming.

It's now more than a year since Fifa President Sepp Blatter publicly backed the imposition of sanctions relating to six Barça players which prevented them from playing competitive games despite being registered and allowed to train with the club. Koreans Lee Seung Woo, Paik Seung-Ho and Jang Gyeolhee, French youngster Theo Chendri, Nigerian Bobby Adekanye and Cameroonian Patrice Sousia all aged between 14 and 16 are registered to different teams within the youth set-up, with the former believed to have turned down lucrative moves to Chelsea and Liverpool last week to sign his first professional contract.

via Chelsea | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1h3lkiS