The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Tuesday dismissed Barcelona's appeal against the transfer ban imposed by FIFA.
FIFA exerted the ban on Barcelonaa for infringing regulations on registering minors as youth players. The CAS agreed with the FIFA perception, saying that Barcelona "breached the rules" governing the protection of minors and the registration of those attending football academies, reports Xinhua.
The ruling means the Spanish club won't be allowed to sign players during the next two transfer windows, although it can renew contracts and recall players ceded to other clubs, such as Denis Suarez and Gerard Deulofeu, both at Sevilla.
Barcelona said in a statement it totally disagreed with the ruling and considered the sanction "disproportionate", adding that it was evaluating legal options, including appealing the decision to the Swiss Federal Court.