Barça in store for an interesting 2015.

FC Barcelona suffered another black eye under this current regime when the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed Barça’s appeal of the FIFA transfer ban. Barça now need to figure out how to move on from this and not dwell on it.

FC Barcelona were once on top of the world. However, thanks to the current regime that only knows how to keep tripping over their own feet, FC Barcelona are regressing from contenders to competitors. I already stated this board should have resigned after losing their case against former Barça president Joan Laporta. The list of their shortcomings since the election of Sandro Rosell and his resignation to be replaced by current president Josep Maria Bartomeu could fill a history book.

I previously addressed how Barça got into this mess of being banned from signing new players.  Both Barça and the RFEF were found to have “violated several provisions concerning the international transfer and first registration of non-Spanish minors with the club, as well as other relevant regulations with regard to the registration and participation of certain players in national competitions. The investigations concerned several minor players who were registered and participated in competitions with the club over various periods between 2009 and 2013.”

After the Court of Arbitration dismissed Barça’s appeal, Barça’s president, in typical fashion, expressed anger at this decision and claimed injustice. Quite frankly, the board have themselves to blame. They resembled potheads complaining that Marijuana should be legal and thus should not be punished for getting caught with it. The rules were broken and Barça has to pay. Other clubs are under investigation over this violation too but they probably learned not what to do thanks to the inept board. Mind you, I still find it ironic that FIFA is worried about youth players as much as they cared for those kids who lost their dads in Qatar stadium accident deaths.

Barça’s initial response to the transfer ban was to display a banner with the message “La Masia No Se Toca” which meant, La Masia is not to be touched. Well guess what, La Masia is the club’s only recourse now. They cannot sign players for one calendar year, so Barça B will be the source of players to be called on to reinforce the team.  There are diamonds in the rough such as Adama, Sergi Samper, and Grimaldo who could be called up now and next season for sure.

However, something this damaging should cause some heads to roll. As much as many of the Blaugrana faithful want the board to step down and call for early elections; it will not happen. Thus, the board will probably look at the sporting director, Zubizarreta, to be the scapegoat/fall guy for this mess and fire him. What is interesting is that current Barça president Bartomeu was first vice-president, responsible for the Athletic Area of the Club. Thus, this happened under his watch but of course he will not take the fall for this.

So this leaves us with an inept board running Barça backwards and dependent on their Barça B team, run by disliked Eusebio, which is hovering above the relegation zone, to provide players for the first team next season that will be coached by Luis Enrique; if he is still coaching them next season. So, Happy New Year and brace yourselves, Barça are in store for an interesting 2015. 

-@IBES16