‘English player allowed to play in England’ – Aston Villa players poke fun at FIFA as club save millions with legal ruling
Aston Villa have had to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to be allowed to register a foreign player… despite him being an England youth international born in England.
FIFA did not allow Aston Villa to register 17-year-old Brian Madjo to their squad when they signed him from French side Metz in January for a £10m fee.
That’s because although he was born in Enfield, he was largely raised in Luxembourg and came through the academy ranks in the country before moving to France to finish his football education.
Are you Madjo
It’s a strange thing to say about the world governing body at the moment, but FIFA’s block was entirely built around sensible rules around child protection.
FIFA Article 19 forbids the international transfers of players aged under 18 other than in limited circumstances, including moves between EU member states – and of course, the UK is no longer an EU member. Madjo, having made three friendly appearances for Luxembourg before switching to England, did not help Villa when they initially pleaded their case to FIFA.
However, though they have not yet published their reasoning, CAS seems to have decided that while Madjo’s case did not fit neatly into any of FIFA’s exceptions, the circumstances were compelling enough to decide in Villa’s favour and allow him to be registered to Unai Emery’s squad for the season ahead.
A club statement said: “Aston Villa can confirm that the club’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding the registration of Brian Madjo has been upheld.
“17-year-old Madjo signed for the club from Metz in January. Born in Enfield, London and a UK citizen, he left England at a young age and was raised in Luxembourg but has been unable to play due to FIFA‘s rules on the international transfer of minors.
“The striker has scored four goals in pre-season so far, including two in the opening friendly fixture against Walsall.
“The court’s decision today means that Brian will be registered as an Aston Villa player and eligible to play in official competition matches for the forthcoming season.”
Madjo’s teammates found the funny side on social media, with John McGinn replying: “English player allowed to play in England #freemadjo”, much to Matty Cash’s evident mirth.
Madjo has been playing for Villa in pre-season, with the ban only applying to official competitive games.
Being able to register the hot prospect will come as welcome news to the club, who would otherwise have been unable to use Madjo in senior games until he turns 18 in January.
They can now count Madjo among their number when plotting out their squad depth for the season ahead.
