German football team FC Koln has been banned by FIFA from signing new players in the upcoming season for violating transfer rules related to Jaka Cuber Potocnik, a 17-year-old promising forward from Slovenia.
Koln has been accused of encouraging Potocnik to break his contract with Olimpija Ljubljana, his former club. A FIFA tribunal has fined the club €51,750 ($56,100) and suspended Potocnik for four months.
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Koln plans to appeal the verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, claiming that Potocnik left his former club due to multiple breaches of contract and that there is evidence it did not incite him to leave.
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Potocnik is a highly-rated young talent and has scored 13 goals in 13 games for Koln’s under-19 team this season.
FIFA has been increasing efforts to enforce international transfer rules, particularly those related to players under 18. Other clubs, such as Chelsea and Marseille, have also faced transfer bans in the past.