Aston Villa have secured a landmark ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that will allow them to register 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo for competitive matches this season — ending a registration dispute that had dragged on since January.

The club signed Madjo from French side Metz for a fee of £10 million at the start of the year, but FIFA refused to approve his registration, citing Article 19 of their regulations. That rule prohibits the international transfer of players aged under 18, with exceptions for moves between EU member states — a category that no longer applies to the United Kingdom following Brexit.

A complicated path to Villa Park

Madjo was born in Enfield, London, and holds UK citizenship, but left England at a young age to be raised in Luxembourg, where he also came through the football academy system before moving to France. His case was further complicated by the fact that he made three friendly appearances for Luxembourg before switching his international allegiance to England.

Those circumstances meant his situation did not fall neatly within any of FIFA's established exceptions, and the governing body initially blocked his registration. Aston Villa appealed to CAS, which has now ruled in the club's favour — though the court has not yet published its full reasoning.

Villa's official response