Serie A side Spezia Calcio given RECORD TWO-YEAR transfer ban by FIFA for breaking rules on signing underage players from Nigeria
* Spezia Calcio were found guilty of breaking FIFA's rules on the transfer of minors
* The club illegally signed 13 players from Nigeria, according to a BBC report
* The move disrupts new coach Thiago Motta's plans for the coming season
* Spezia's American owners say they had nothing to do with the transfers
Serie A side Spezia Calcio have been slapped with a two-year transfer ban by FIFA for illegally signing underage players from Nigeria.
Spezia were promoted to the top-flight last year for the first time ever and finished a creditable 15th but their bid to retain their new-found status has been made far harder by them being unable to register new signings.
However, they will be able to sign new players this summer, with the ban due to kick in from January 2022.
The two-year suspension is the longest transfer ban FIFA have ever handed out while the international governing body also fined Spezia 500,000 Swiss Francs (£393,000).
'The FIFA Disciplinary Committee found that Spezia Calcio had breached article 19 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) by bringing several Nigerian minors into Italy using a scheme aimed at circumventing the aforesaid RSTP article as well as national immigration law,' FIFA said in a statement.
'The protection of minors is a key objective of the regulatory framework governing the football transfer system.'
BBC Sport Africa reported that the club illegally brought in 13 players from Nigeria between 2013-2017.
The ban comes as a big blow to former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Thiago Motta, who was appointed as Spezia's new coach last week.
The club, which is based in the north of Italy and was bought by U.S investors earlier this year, said they would appeal the ban.
Spezia Calcio, who made their Serie A debut last season, were found guilty of signing minors. The transfer ban is a big blow to new Spezia coach Thiago Motta, who was appointed last week. Spezia's owners will appeal the ban and said the transfers happened before they took over
Spezia's American president Philip Raymond Platek said in a statement the club was 'surprised' by the ban and would launch an appeal.
'The new ownership had no role in the alleged transgressions,' he added.
'We will appeal and take appropriate measures to ensure that our team remains competitive in the years to come.'
Chelsea were handed a transfer ban in 2019 for signing underage players while Atletico Madrid received the same punishment in 2017.
Barcelona were the first major club to fall foul of the regulations and were given a transfer ban in 2014 although they managed to delay the ban, allowing them to make a number of key signings including Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-9795495/Serie-Spezia-Calcio-given-record-two-year-transfer-ban-FIFA-signing-minors.html