Real Madrid face Fifa investigation into 51 youth transfers

Fifa is investigating Real Madrid’s youth transfer policy and has asked the club for information on 51 players,according to FIFA.com.

Club director Emilio Butragueno confirmed Fifa had asked the Spanish Federation for documents relating to transfers over the last five years.

Butragueno said the club was “absolutely calm” about its behaviour.

Fifa handed Barcelona a transfer ban until 2016 after they breached regulations when signing 10 players aged under 18 to their academy in 2013.

In a statement, Real Madrid said the majority of the 51 players world football’s governing body had asked for information on were exempt from regulations for various reasons.

Among the exemptions the club pointed to was the fact that 10 players were Spanish nationals and 23 foreign players had already been registered with a Spanish club.

Fifa rules state  international transfers are only permitted for players over the age of 18 – unless the player in question meets one of three qualifying criteria.

Under-18s can move to a club in a different country if their parents move there for non-footballing reasons, if they are from another nation within the European Union or European Economic Area and aged between 16 and 18, or if they live within 100km of the club.

On Thursday, Real Madrid completed the £2.3m signing of 16-year-old Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard from Stromgodset.

Their La Liga rivals Barcelona are not allowed to sign any players in 2015 after their appeal against their transfer ban was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December.

M.D