Aston Villa take Fifa to court after wonderkid blocked from playing

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The Independent

1 July 2026

Aston Villa

has taken its fight to register 17-year-old forward

Brian Madjo

to the

Court of Arbitration for Sport

(Cas), after

Fifa

blocked his permission to play.

The

Premier League

club reportedly spent €12m (£10.2m) in January to acquire the north London-born player from French side Metz but have been unable to field him.

Fifa’s regulations limit international transfers for players under the age of 18, a rule that has prevented Madjo, who turns 18 in January, from being registered.

open image in gallery

Brian Madjo has been prevented from playing for

(Getty)

A key factor in the dispute is an exemption within Fifa’s rules that allows players aged 16 or 17 to move "within the territory of the European Union," an option no longer available to British clubs following the UK's departure from the EU.

Cas confirmed that Villa’s appeal hearing proceeded as scheduled on Wednesday, though no date has been set for a ruling.

Aston Villa, who are set to compete in the Champions League next season, will want a verdict soon with the Uefa squad registration deadline looming on 2 September. The Premier League’s squad list deadline also falls after the transfer window closes on 1 September.

Madjo last played a competitive match for Metz in Ligue 1 in December.

He has previously represented Luxembourg at senior level in friendlies before switching to play for England at Under-17 level.

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