Spezia, stung by Fifa: market blocked for 2 years

Fifa blocks the La Spezia market for two years. The disciplinary commission of the international federation stanga the Ligurian club for “infringements of the rules on the international transfer of underage players.” Following an investigation carried out by the Fifa regulatory enforcement department, the disciplinary commission of the highest football body found that the La Spezia club has violated art. 19 of the FIFA Regulations on the status and transfer of players, having brought several Nigerian underage players to Italy “, reads a FIFA press release.” Taking into account the admission of responsibility of Spezia Calcio for its serious regulatory violations, the disciplinary commission of FIFA has imposed a market blockade, nationally and internationally, for four sessions along with a fine of 500,000 Swiss francs. Spezia Calcio, therefore, will not be able to register new players for the next four market registration periods established by the Italian Football Federation. “The Fifa disciplinary commission has also imposed a block on the market, nationally and internationally, for four periods. of registration and a fine of 4,000 francs against USD Lavagnese 1919 and Valdivara 5 Terre, since these two clubs played an active role in the aforementioned system. “The protection of minors is a fundamental objective of the legislative framework that regulates the player transfer system and the effective application of these rules is essential to ensure the protection of the well-being of minors at all times “, remarks the International Football Association. The three clubs were informed today of the decision of the Fifa Disciplinary Commission. : “Events unrelated to the current ownership” The block on the La Spezia market will be in effect a starting January 2022. In a statement, the club says it is “surprised and extremely disappointed by this ruling”. Then, a series of clarifications: “The alleged irregularities attributed to Spezia Calcio occurred in the period between 2013 and 2018, therefore under the previous administration of the club; all members of the previous ownership and of the management team belonging to it, they currently do not hold positions of responsibility within the club; when the new owner group acquired Spezia Calcio in February 2021, the FIFA survey was not adequately exposed. The club was only informed in April and has acted immediately to conduct an internal check on these allegations, to prove that the irregularities do not concern the current ownership, “the note reads. And again: “The club finds that the sanction is excessively harsh, a sanction that punishes a new administration that has not had any involvement in the alleged irregularities; the club intends to take legal action to appeal this sentence and clearly demonstrate that there is no correlation between the current ownership and this case, of which Spezia Calcio is accused; the sanction will not affect the current summer transfer window, so the club is free to operate without restrictions; the club respects the importance of the work undertaken by Fifa in relation to the protection of minors and will fully cooperate in any further investigation that may be initiated. “” We are surprised by FIFA’s decision to impose this heavy transfer ban on our club. The new ownership did not have any role in the alleged transgressions attributed to Spezia Calcio and strongly condemns any system that includes ille transfer I quote from minors “, affirms La Spezia president Philip Raymond Platek Jr.” I cannot comment further on the matter due to the ongoing legal proceedings, but – he adds – I would like to reassure our fans, declaring that we will appeal against this sentence and take the appropriate measures to ensure that our team remains competitive in the years to come “.