A deep sigh of relief from top clubs

(published in the Slovak daily Sport)

When FC Barcelona was handed a transfer ban on April 2 by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee for violating transfer rules in ten international signings and registrations of under-18 players, the reaction was twofold. Some applauded: finally, the principle of “no one is above the law” applies even to a global giant like Barcelona. The club broke the rules and must be punished, just like any other wrongdoer. Others, however, were filled with concern: what would happen to the club’s already-planned summer transfers?

The story took another turn last Wednesday. FIFA’s Appeals Committee temporarily lifted the registration ban, citing time constraints. A potential appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne would not be resolved before the summer transfer window opened. Though the explanation was carefully worded, one logical question lingers: would FIFA have acted the same way if it hadn’t been FC Barcelona involved?

Cynics whisper about the club’s powerful Qatari sponsor - supporter of the world’s second-richest club whose influence runs deep within member federations and FIFA’s inner structures, and who played a major role in Qatar’s surprising World Cup hosting victory.

A British Daily Mail commentator summed it up best: “Europe’s top clubs collectively exhaled.” Numerous transfers to Barcelona are in the pipeline, and a cascade of transfer fees, potentially totaling €100 to €150 million, is poised to set off another wave of player movement across Europe.

For part of the global football community, the case only reinforced the perception of FIFA’s weakness, overshadowing any praise of Barcelona’s "clever diplomacy." Of course, this isn’t the final word. Legal teams are already preparing for the next phase. Not long ago, Chelsea received a similar two-year ban for the illegal signing of youngster Gaël Kakuta from Lens, only to successfully appeal.

Unlike the World Cup bidding process, long marred by corruption scandals, FIFA’s dispute resolution mechanisms - its Dispute Resolution Chamber and Players’ Status Committee - are generally a stronger point. Their decisions are published transparently, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport rarely overturns them.

One can only hope that the final decision in this case will be fair and well-reasoned—not just for Barcelona, which already faces tax evasion issues surrounding the Neymar transfer, but for FIFA and the integrity of the football world as a whole.