FIFA hit Barcelona with another arbitary action
FIFA have once again struck Barcelona’s academy hard. After banning Barça from signing players and preventing nine players at La Masia from playing football because the club didn’t comply with the rules when signing and registering international players under 18, now they have taken the punishment a step further. FIFA now say that the players are not allowed to even train at the Ciutat Esportiva de Sant Joan Despi, nor are they allowed to live at La Masia with their teammates.
Above all, it is a decision which affects the players. American midfielder Ben Lederman, 15, is currently back in the United States with his family, but is supposed to return to Barcelona later this month. Then there’s Cameroonian Patrice Sousia, 16, who has nowhere to after this news. According to Mundo Deportivo’s Oriol Domenech, he’s provisionally moved in with the mother of teammate Alex Collado. Then there are the three Koreans. Paik Seung Ho is 18 so can train, but Seung Woo Lee and Jang Gyeol Hee are not yet of age.
Regarding Sousia there will be a meeting between FC Barcelona and the Samuel Eto’o foundation, where he came from, to seek a solution in the coming days. For now, Barcelona have not officially made any comment on FIFA’s latest arbitrary action.
