Madrid, Jan 16 (EFE; additional reporting by The Costa Rica Star).– Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane said FIFA had made an “absurd” decision in barring the club from registering new players until July 2017 as punishment for its alleged breach of rules against the international transfer of under-18 players, predicting that the ban would be overturned.

The Blancos were found to have violated regulations in eight cases involving players in the club’s youth teams, including two sons of the former Real Madrid and French national team superstar. This is the club where goalkeeper Keylor Navas from Costa Rica has thrived this season.

“It seems absurd to me because I’ve been here my whole life with my family and my sons … but I think it will all be worked out,” Zidane said in his first comments to the media after the ban was handed down on Real Madrid and its crosstown rival Atletico Madrid on Thursday.

FIFA’s decision bars those two clubs from registering new players in the summer 2016 transfer window and the winter 2017 window.

It does not affect the clubs’ ability to register new players to play during the current mid-season window.

The head coach, whose team won 5-0 in his debut last weekend against Deportivo La Coruña, said he would leave the appeal in the club’s hands and focus on soccer.

I am a little annoyed … but next week it will all be worked out,” he said, adding that “it’s not just my sons. There are lots of players and families” affected. EFE

The FIFA rule being challenged by Zidane is Article 19. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, this rule prevents Marianno Lugo, an 8-year old goalkeeper with dual United States-Costa Rica citizenship, from playing organized football in Barcelona.

In October of last year, Marianno’s parents were informed by the FC Barcelonista youth club Penya Anguera that their son was not allowed to play in league-sanctioned games per FIFA rules.

In Marianno’s case, Article 19 is being enforced by the Federation Catalunya of Football (Federació Catalana de Futbol) and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (Real Federación Española de Fútbol, RFEF).

The rule is supposed to fight the black-market trafficking of young players, particularly from Latin America and Africa, to European clubs; however, the rule also presents negative side effects such as Marianno’s situation.

Another U.S. player affected by Article 19 is Ben Lederman, a young midfielder with enough skills to become the next Andrés Iniesta.

Lederman was set to get a scholarship at La Masia, Barcelona’s legendary youth program; alas, Article 19 derailed those dreams. In the end, he returned to the U.S. and graduated from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Lederman can still become the next Landon Donovan.