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PARIS. — Barcelona have lost an appeal against a decision to ban them from the transfer market for two consecutive windows, soccer’s world governing body Fifa said in a statement yesterday. As a result, Barca, who were found guilty of breaching rules on the international transfer of under-18 players, will be banned from registering players during the next transfer window in January as well as the 2015 summer window, Fifa said.

And Barcelona immediately responded to Fifa’s announcement that they would uphold the transfer ban for the Catalan giants, starting from January 2015.

The club released the following statement on their website, confirming they will take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) – the highest instance in sport rulings.

“Following the resolution announced today by the Fifa Appeals Committee on violations of regulations regarding the transfer and registration of children aged under 18 years, FC Barcelona announces that it shall continue defending its interests before the highest sporting authority, in this case the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). “FC Barcelona may not in any way share a resolution that is an affront to the spirit of our Masia, a world renowned example of academic, human and sporting education.”— AFP.