Athletic Club

Why FIFA Imposed Transfer Ban on Athletic Club? Reason Revealed

Sportsdunia Desk

Published - Feb 13, 2026, 07:27 AM

3 min

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Summary

Athletic Club has been handed a three-window registration ban by football's apex body, FIFA, on Wednesday.
The ban is being attributed to a discrepancy regarding a player's training compensation from the past.
Algeciras and Velez Sarsfield are the two other teams under the Spanish Football Federation to be included.

Football's top governing body, FIFA, handed a transfer ban to La Liga side Athletic Club on Wednesday. The sanction listed on the FIFA Registration Ban List page is reportedly a three-window registration ban against signing players, which could have a knock-on effect on the Spanish club's recruitment plans. The news has caught fans and critics by surprise, making them wonder: 'What are the reasons behind Athletic Club ban?'

The club was previously known as Athletic Bilbao, due to the dictatorship restrictions placed under the Francisco Franco regime, which ruled between 1941 and 1972. FIFA's ban on the Basque club is attributed to financial and regulatory violations with regard to a player they prematurely recalled from loan in the winter window.

Why Did FIFA Hand Transfer Ban to Athletic Club?

Recent reports from Spanish media outlets attribute the three-window transfer ban to a dispute surrounding the transfer involving Mexican international goalkeeper Alex Padilla, who was loaned to Pumas in January 2025 for a fee of €400,000. However, the Basque club recalled him mid-season before the originally scheduled end of his loan for €300,000.

It is a wait-and-see on how the club responds to this transfer ban, since no official statement has been released as of yet. The Spanish club is famed for operating on a youth academy setup over the years, while sporadically dipping its toes in the transfer market for recruiting players.

When Will The Athletic Club Ban End?

The club that plays its football at the iconic San Mames stadium will not be able to sign talent in the summer 2026, winter 2027, and summer 2027 transfer windows. The FIFA ban applies to domestic and international registrations by Athletic Club on amateur and professional levels.

As things stand, the Basque club is the only La Liga team listed on the Registration Bans List, joining lower-tier Spanish clubs like Algeciras and Velez Sarsfield on the list, which are also under the Spanish Football Federation. In the recent past, clubs like Rayo Vallecano and Mallorca have appeared on the list for outstanding amounts related to the solidarity mechanism. But they were swiftly removed by FIFA after they settled the amounts on time.