Barcelona Transfer News: Xavi Hernandez Claims CAS 'Screwed' Catalans over Ban

Xavi Hernandez has pulled no punches in his assessment of the Court Of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) decision to uphold Barcelona’s transfer embargo for the entirety of 2015, insisting the Catalonian club have been “screwed” by the judgement.

Speaking with Sport (h/t Ben Nagle of the Mail Online), the legendary midfield was unashamedly curt in his opinion of the club’s predicament:

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We have all been screwed by the CAS decision. I expected them to be more lenient.

I find it a huge injustice because no club in the world takes better care of their young players. This will make us even stronger.

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David Ramos/Getty Images

The boisterous retort from Xavi was comparable to Barcelona’s own response when it was announced that the ban was to be upheld, per Bleacher Report UK:

The Blaugrana were hit with the aforementioned sanctions after it was deemed they had broken rules when it comes to signing players under the age of 18. Initially, the club was set to be banned from signing players in the summer of 2014, but an appeal from the club saw the sanctions suspended up until the January window.

That allowed Barca to spend heavily ahead of the current campaign, with Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen all joining Luis Enrique’s side at the Camp Nou. 

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Despite his clear frustration, Xavi thinks that because of the quality of player this team possesses—including a stunning attacking triumvirate of Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi—they will be capable of challenging for major honours despite the detrimental effect this ban could have, per the aforementioned piece:

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The top three are three beasts.

The attack has potential for very good games. Neymar is performing brutally, you will see Luis Suarez increasingly improve and Messi has returned to give his best.

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Alex Caparros/Getty Images

The ban may also mean Xavi himself is likely to stay at the Camp Nou for a little while yet. The 34-year-old reportedly flirted with the possibility of leaving the club in the summer, per Ben Jefferson of the Express, but with the club unable to bolster the midfield for 12 months, it’d be a surprise to see Enrique let a player of Xavi’s experience go.

Indeed, this ban could eventually be an eventual blessing for Barcelona. Enrique will be pushed into giving young players chances in the first team and after impressive cameos from a host of La Masia graduates already this season—while the biggest honours may be beyond them for the time being—the Blaugrana will surely reap some long-term benefits.