- Aston Villa are still in the process of trying to register January signing Brian Madjo
- He has been unable to feature in any of the club’s teams
- FIFA have dismissed Villa’s attempts to register him due to the fact that Madjo is under the age of 18
Aston Villa will officially escalate their dispute with FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on July 1st, as they seek to register January signing Brian Madjo. Unai Emery is keen to utilise him in his first-team squad for the upcoming season.
The Midlands club is mounting a fierce legal challenge against football’s governing body to bypass strict international transfer restrictions that have left their £10 million January signing trapped in administrative limbo.
According to a report by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell, a formal hearing date has been set for the beginning of July to resolve the high-profile registration deadlock.
The core dispute: Article 19
The legal battle stems from FIFA’s initial dismissal of Villa’s application to register the 17-year-old. Madjo completed a high-profile move to Villa Park from French Ligue 1 side FC Metz during the January transfer window.
However, FIFA strictly blocked the registration, citing Article 19 of its Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which heavily restricts the international transfer of players under the age of 18.
Under FIFA’s current stance, the young forward is entirely prohibited from playing competitive matches for any of Villa’s senior or academy teams until he turns 18 in January 2027.
Growing frustration at Villa
Tanswell reports that the length and rigid nature of the administrative process have caused significant frustration within the hierarchy at Villa Park. Madjo was born in England to Cameroonian parents, which is why Villa are taking these steps, as they believe this allows him to be registered.
Despite being barred from official matchdays, Madjo has been training directly with the senior squad. He has heavily impressed Emery, who was highly keen to integrate the forward into his first-team squads during the second half of last season.
This isn’t the club’s first encounter with registration problems. Villa faced an identical situation in 2024 when purchasing Ethan Amundsen-Day from Copenhagen. Despite Amundsen-Day being born in Leeds, the club had to wait until he turned 18 to feature.
ReadAstonVilla verdict
The hearing on July 1st carries immense weight for Villa’s squad depth. If CAS rules in favour of the club, Madjo will receive immediate clearance to be formally registered. This would allow him to get fully up to speed and give Emery an incredibly potent attacking option for the start of the 2026/27 domestic campaign.
Madjo is extremely talented and could be a force to be reckoned with if he can play next season. Despite being 17, he is 6ft 4in. Under Emery’s guidance, he could develop very quickly into an elite-level player.
However, if the appeal is dismissed, Villa will have no choice but to wait out the clock until January 2027, which will be a huge blow.
