Aston Villa have escalated their battle to register 17-year-old forward Brian Madjo, taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after FIFA blocked the teenager from playing in the Premier League.
The Midlands club reportedly paid €12 million (£10.2 million) during the January transfer window to sign the London-born prospect from French side Metz. However, Villa have been unable to field him because of FIFA regulations restricting the international transfer of players under the age of 18.
The dispute centres on an exemption in FIFA’s transfer rules that allows 16 and 17-year-old players to move within the European Union. Since the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU, British clubs can no longer benefit from that exemption, leaving Villa unable to register Madjo, who turns 18 in January.
CAS confirmed that Aston Villa’s appeal hearing took place as scheduled on Wednesday, although no date has been set for a final ruling.
Time is of the essence for Unai Emery’s side. With Villa set to compete in next season’s UEFA Champions League, the club is eager for a swift decision ahead of UEFA’s squad registration deadline on September 2. The Premier League’s squad submission deadline follows the close of the summer transfer window on September 1.
Madjo has not played a competitive match since featuring for Metz in Ligue 1 in December.
The highly rated forward has previously represented Luxembourg at senior level in friendly matches before switching his international allegiance to England, where he now plays for the Under-17 national team.
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