July 16, (THEWILL) – World football governing body, FIFA, has slammed a tough two-year transfer ban on Serie A club Spezia for breach of transfer rules regarding underage players in a case concerning players from Nigeria.
The ban which was made public on Friday revealed that the Italian side which features in the top division of the country’s domestic football was found to have flouted FIFA rules guiding the transfer business by bringing underage Nigerian players to Serie A.
As a consequence of the ban, the US-owned Italian football club will not be allowed to sign new players for a combined total of four transfer windows. This will begin from next January 2022 when mid-season transfers take place.
In handing down the charge, FIFA noted that Spezia brought “several Nigerian minors into Italy using a scheme aimed at circumventing RSTP (FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players) regulation as well as national immigration law”.
According to FIFA, the charge, which also involved two northern amateur sides in Italian football came bundled with monetary fines, forcing Spezia to part with the sum of 500,000 Swiss francs ($544,000, €460,000).
The amateur clubs, USD Lavagnese 1919 and Valdivara 5 Terre, faced the same sanctions as were imposed on Spezia because FIFA asserted that the “two clubs having played an active role in the aforementioned scheme,” were liable to face similar consequences.
THEWILL recalls that Spezia won promotion to the Italian top-flight for the first time in last year before finishing 15th in the recently concluded 2020/2021. Upon receiving the details of the ban and fine, Spezia insisted on an appeal of FIFA’s “extremely harsh sanction.”
As they pointed out in their defense, “The alleged irregularities occurred in the period between 2013 and 2018, therefore under the previous administration of the club,” for which the current administration, of American businessman Robert Platek, who bought the club last February, ought not to be punished.
Platek expressed his view of FIFA’s course of action by saying: “We are surprised by FIFA’s decision to impose this heavy transfer ban on our club. The new ownership has played no role in the alleged transgressions charged to Spezia Calcio and strongly condemns any system which includes the illegal transfer of minors.
“I cannot comment further on the matter due to the ongoing legal proceedings, but I would like to reassure our fans, stating that we will appeal this ruling and will take appropriate measures to ensure that our team remains competitive in the years to come.”
For the sake of expediency, FIFA did not include the current summer transfer window under the terms of the ban.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
