Madrid: Real Madrid presented their latest signing to hundreds of cheering fans at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Monday, as Fifa continued its probe into the club’s transfer of minors.
Brazilian Lucas Silva, a 21-year-old midfielder, had earlier passed a medical and signed a contract through to the summer of 2020 before acknowledging the applause and saying Madrid had impressed him.
“I felt butterflies in my stomach as I stepped on the field,” Silva said. “I stood in front of all the titles, the cups won, and felt emotional.”
At the presentation press conference, club director Emilio Butragueno said he was aware that Fifa had asked the Spanish football federation for official documents relating to the transfers of minors to Madrid over the past five years.
“First of all, we are in agreement with Fifa in this matter,” Butragueno said. “We will continue collaborating with them in everything that is asked of us. We are absolutely calm about how Real Madrid has proceeded.”
Fifa exerts rigid control over international transfers of minors.
Last week, Madrid signed 16-year-old Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard from Norwegian club Stroemgodset.
Arch-rivals Barcelona fell foul of Fifa’s rules on registering minors in February 2013 and had a transfer ban imposed on them that means the Catalan giants cannot sign any new players until 2016.
Fifa found that Barcelona had violated those regulations when it signed 10 players under the age of 18 to their academy.
A fine of 450,000 Swiss francs ($455,000) was also levied against the club.
In December, Barcelona had their appeal against the ruling dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
While Madrid don’t have a youth academy that includes a boarding school for minors like Barcelona’s renowned La Masia, they do operate youth teams.
Spain’s federation said it had no comment.
