FIFA decision set to test Zubizarreta's mettle - Barca running against the clock - 7M sport

FIFA decision set to test Zubizarreta's mettle - Barca running against the clock



Posted Thursday, August 21, 2014 by Marca.com

FIFA's decision to uphold their ban on Barcelona puts the Catalan club in a very tricky position. It has 12 days, not only to complete this season's squad, but the next as well.

FIFA decision set to test Zubizarreta's mettle - Barca running against the clock

The new 'status quo' will test Zubizarreta's abilities as Director of Football to the max. He will have to anticipate the needs of his team for the 2015/2016 season, predicting who may leave at the end of this year and find a replacement right now.

Given that the selection process for this year's squad was almost done and dusted, Zubi will have to assess the possibility of making some new signings now with a view to next season and, more than likely, organise loan deals for them this year to prevent things getting crowded in the Barça dressing room.

This anticipation of events necessarily implies that Barça will have to dig deep in its coffers this summer. With Barcelona already the club that had spent the most during this transfer period (€154 million) while the ban was still in doubt, now that FIFA has confirmed the sanction, the Catalans could be headed for the record books.

It is true that there is still the chance of appealing to the CAS and that, in the best case scenario, the ban will then be lifted. That is one of the possible outcomes, the others being that CAS will see fit to either partially lift the sanction so that they are only able to deal on the winter or summer markets or, in the end, uphold the punishment imposed by FIFA.



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