Spezia have appealed against their four-window transfer ban imposed by FIFA: ‘The new owners had no role in the presumed breaches,” said President Philip Raymond Platek Jr.
The Aquile have been found guilty of breaching rules about signing minors by FIFA, therefore they won’t be allowed to make new signings starting from January 2022.
The club have appealed against FIFA’s decision.
“Spezia Calcio has received today the notification of FIFA’s decision to ban the club from the next four transfer windows from January 2022,” the official statement reads.
“The club is surprised and extremely disappointed by this decision and wants to clarify that:
– The alleged irregularities attributed to Spezia Calcio occurred between 2013 and 2018, then under the previous administration of the club.
– All members of the previous ownership and management team do not have any position of responsibility within the club.
– When the new owners acquired Spezia Calcio in February 2021, FIFA’s investigation was not adequately presented. The club was only informed in April and acted immediately to conduct an internal check on these allegations to show that the irregularities do not concern the current property.
– The Club considers that the sanction is excessively harsh. A sanction that punishes a new administration that has had no involvement in the alleged irregularities.
– The Club intends to take legal action to appeal this ruling and clearly demonstrate that there is no correlation between the current property and this case, of which Spezia Calcio is accused.
– The penalty 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 concerning the protection of minors and will cooperate fully in any further investigation that will be launched.
Spezie President Philip Raymond Platek Jr added: “We are surprised by FIFA’s decision to impose on our club such a harsh ban. The new property has played no role in the alleged breaches attributed to Spezia Calcio and strongly condemns any system that includes the illicit transfer of minors.
“I cannot comment further on the matter due to the ongoing legal proceedings, but I would like to reassure our fans, declaring that we will appeal against this ruling and take appropriate measures to ensure that our team remains competitive in the years to come.”