Barcelona set to make final move for Turan's registration

Barcelona set to move to Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for assistance in Turan’s case

Barcelona is set to make a final approach for Arda Turan’s registration. FIFA rejected earlier requests from the Blaugrana for the same, and have not responded to further petitions. As a result, the club is set to move to Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for assistance in the case.

The Catalan club was handed a transfer ban for two transfer windows by FIFA, due to a fiasco which involved Barca breaching rules related to registering youth players. The ban is set to be lifted on January 4. Turan joined the club in a deal worth a fixed fee of €34 million along with €7 million in incentives, but is ineligible to play as his transfer can only be registered once the ban is lifted.

The reason Barcelona decided to appeal for Turan’s registration was Brazilian midfielder Rafinha’s injury. He suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the UCL tie against Roma. He will be sidelined for at least six months, which has forced Barca’s hands to register the Turkish midfielder.

Rules stipulate that in emergency cases such as injury, players can be replaced in a Spanish club's squad outside the normal transfer windows. As a result, they requested to FIFA about registering Arda earlier than permitted, only to get denied by the football governing body.

FC Barcelona released a statement on it’s official website regarding the case. "The legal department has confirmed that FIFA has not responded to the latest request presented on Friday, the third the club made. Given the lack of a reply, an appeal will be presented tomorrow Thursday to FIFA's appeals committee as a precursor to an appeal to CAS," they stated after a board meeting.

However, the case could drag out until the end of the year. By which point Barca would soon be able to register both Turan and Aleix Vidal.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international judicial body established to settle disputes related to sport through mediation. Its headquarters are in Lausanne(Switzerland) and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne.

Barcelona have been unlucky with injuries, especially at this early stages of the campaign with Messi and Andres Iniesta both injured as well.

Barcelona are up against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday at the Camp Nou in La Liga. Then they travel to Belarus for a Champions League tie against Belarusian champions BATE Borisov on Tuesday.